Surfacing
by itsonlyme
Summary: Some secrets stay in the past, some don’t. So what would happen if a secret from your past surfaced in the present? PG-13 for language. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE NOW UP!
1. Voices From The Past

Some secrets stay in the past, some don't. So what would happen if a secret from the past surfaced in the present? Everything would be cool, wouldn't it? Guess it all depends on what the secret is and who you're hiding it from...  
  
A/N: My first CJ fanfic...please be gentle!  
  
Chapter One: Voices From the Past  
  
"So, what've we got so far on the body?" Detective Woody Hoyt asked Jordan Cavanaugh as they walked towards the autopsy room.  
"Well, we found some ID on her, so we know who she was, and if I'm not too far off, I think Peter and Bug are almost done sewing her up, so we're finished with the autopsy. You wanna come in?" replied Jordan as they approached the door of the autopsy room.  
Woody hesitated. It was common knowledge around the M.E.'s office that he wasn't all that enthusiastic about being around cut-up dead people. But this time, he decided to go in, just to hear the results of the autopsy. Upon reaching his decision, he nodded to Jordan. She opened the door and they entered the room.   
Upon entering the room, the first thing Woody noticed was the smell. "Damn," he thought. "You'd think I would've gotten used to this..." The second thing he noticed was the body. The cover had been replaced, but a hand was visibly hanging out from under the sheet, the ring finger of which had a class ring on it. A class ring that Woody immediately recognized as one from his high school back in Wisconsin.  
"So guys," said Jordan, momentarily distracting Woody from his thoughts, "What's the verdict?" Peter and Bug looked up from the paperwork they were filling out.  
"Well," said Bug, "It was definitely the gunshots that killed her. 2 in the chest, 3 in the back, the 2nd chest wound being the fatal wound. She was dead before the other three shots were fired."  
"Whoever did this really did a number on her," said Peter. This was the first time he had been really shocked at a body since his wife's came in. "It was almost as if they wanted to make sure she was dead before they ran off."  
"Well, she was," Woody said offhandedly. During the conversation, he had been edging closer to the body, to get a good look at the ring. When he was close enough to the body and had made sure that Peter, Jordan, and Bug were deep enough in conversation to not notice, he lifted the hand to look at the ring.  
It was an ordinary enough ring, he noticed. Definitely from his high school, from his graduating class as well. Then he noticed the inscription on the side of the ring, the one that said: WHJB. He gasped, quietly he thought, but obviously loud enough for Jordan to hear and say, "What's wrong?"  
"Um, can I see the ring a second?" Woody asked. Peter and Bug looked at him for a second, looking like they were trying to decide if he had suddenly decided to take up grave robbery. After what seemed like hours to Woody, Peter nodded and took the ring off the body's finger, handing it to Woody.  
Woody turned the ring over, reading the name on the inside of it. In simple script, it read: Jennifer Michelle Baxter. His heart sank. He knew this woman. In a seemingly calm voice, he said "Did we get the ID on her?"  
Bug nodded and said, "Jennifer Baxter-Brown, age 33, married, 3 kids."  
"Did you get the kids' names?"  
"Yeah," said Peter, giving Woody a "what the hell?" look. "Lori, Jessica, and Amanda. Why?"  
"Let me see the body," Woody said, trying to keep his voice even.  
"OK, you're starting to scare me Woody," Jordan said. "Why do you want to see the body?"  
"Just let me see the body," he said quietly.  
Jordan shrugged and said "OK" before pulling the sheet off of the face. Woody looked at the body on the slab, and recognized the face immediately. It had been a little over 15 years, but he still knew her, could still recognize her. He just stared at her, unable to say anything, until Jordan asked him, "Who is she? Someone you know?"  
"Yeah," Woody said shakily. "She's my ex-girlfriend from high school, Jen Baxter. The mother of my daughter."  
"What?" said Jordan, Bug, and Peter at the same time.  
"It's true," said Woody. "Her oldest daughter, Amanda, is my daughter."

At the same time, in a house in another part of Boston, Amanda Baxter was laughing. That is, she was laughing at the antics of her 7-year- old sister Jessica, who was tickling her baby sister Lori with a feather and making weird faces. They had been laughing like this for the past hour and a half, and they would've laughed longer if the phone hadn't rung. The other adult in the room stood up and went to answer the phone.  
"Baxter residence, to whom am I speaking?" asked Donna Baxter, the girls' aunt.  
"You still sound like you always did Donna," said the voice on the other end of the line.  
"Woody? Is that you?"  
"Yeah, it's me."  
"You sound upset, what's wrong?"  
Woody sighed on the other end of the phone line. He knew this would be hard. Even though she was 3 years younger, Donna Baxter had always been close to her older sister Jen. But Donna was the closest person that he could call, and he knew it had to be done sometime.  
"This is really hard for me to say, but-"  
Donna cut him off. She knew what he was about to say; and-to spare the both of them-she said it herself.  
"Jen's dead, isn't she?"  
"Yeah, she is. I just found out myself, I'm at the morgue right now. My boss actually set me to work on the case, and I had to get autopsy results, and...well, you get the picture." He waited for the sobbing to start, but he was surprised when Donna didn't start crying.  
"What do I need to do?"  
"Actually, it's what Amanda needs to do."  
"What do you mean?"  
"The M.E. working the case, Dr. Cavanaugh, found a paper in Jen's purse when they were looking for ID. Apparently, it was a will, and it named Amanda as next of kin."  
"You're saying that your 18 year old daughter has to go ID her mom at the morgue," Donna said in disbelief.  
"Pretty much," Woody answered.  
"When?"  
"Tomorrow, if possible."  
Donna looked over at her oldest niece, who was now happily being chased around the living room by her younger sister and laughing loudly. She sighed and said, "Tomorrow's fine. When should I bring her down?"  
"I'll do it," Woody said. "I haven't seen Amanda in years. I think if anyone's going to take her there, it should be her father."  
"Fine," said Donna, and after making final arrangements, she hung up the phone. It took her a few minutes, but she finally gathered the strength to say, "Amanda, I need you to come in here a moment."


	2. The Unthinkable

Disclaimer: Don't own any of it, other than the Baxter family and this storyline. And if I did own Crossing Jordan, Jordan and Woody would've been together a loooooong time ago!  
  
Chapter Two: The Unthinkable  
  
Amanda looked up when she heard her name called, and said "What is it Aunt Donna?"  
"Can you put the girls to bed? And after that, there's something I need to tell you."  
"Sure," Amanda said. She turned to her sister Jessica and said, "Well Jessie, bed time! Aunt Donna wants you in bed, so you gotta go."  
Jessie Brown looked at her older sister, who was picking the now- sleeping Lori up off of the floor, and said "OK, Manda. You putting me to bed?"  
"Yep. So, march little dude."  
Jessie ran down the hallway to the bedroom she shared with her baby sister Lori, closely followed by Amanda, carrying Lori.

Donna Baxter watched her nieces go down the hallway, and after a few moments, watched her oldest niece come back down it alone.  
Amanda entered the small kitchen and sat down at the table. "What's up Aunt Donna?" she asked. Amanda was worried. Her aunt looked sad, not "they broke my glass horse" sad, but "something's really wrong" sad.  
Donna sighed. This was going to be tough. Finally, she said, "I got a call from your father today."  
"My father?" asked Amanda. "What'd he want?"  
"You know he's working here in Boston as a detective for the Boston Police, right?"  
"Yeah...Aunt Donna, what's going on?"  
"Well, the case he's been working on was the carjacking that involved you and your mother. He called tonight from the morgue." At the mention of the word morgue, Amanda shuddered. She also tensed up, remembering that her mom had not come home after the incident two days ago.  
"He needs you to come down to the morgue tomorrow to identify a body."  
Amanda began to choke up at the mention of the word 'body'. She braced herself before asking the question that she already knew the answer to: "Whose body?"  
Donna reached across the table and took her niece's hand in hers before saying, "Amanda, your mother's dead. They need you to identify her body."  
Amanda pulled away from her aunt and stood up rapidly, backing away from the table and knocking over a chair in the process. She couldn't believe what her aunt was saying.  
"How does he know that it's Mom?" Amanda asked. "It could be anyone, Mom had those classic 'blonde hair, blue eyes' look, and a lot of people have that."  
"He saw her class ring, and they let him look at the face. It's her, Amanda."  
Amanda couldn't take another second of it. As soon as her aunt was done talking, she ran into her own room, closing the door hard. She heard her sisters wake up and start crying because of the loud noise as she slid down against the door and began to cry herself. 


	3. Eternity In An Instant

Disclaimer: see Chapter 2  
  
A/N: Looks like my little idea is being well received! Thanks to NCCJFan and Mrs. Rhett Butler for their reviews. Also, from now on, flashbacks will be in italics. Just thought you ought to know.  
  
(Side note to Mrs. Rhett Butler: I like your idea! It's a good one, and very in tune with how I want Amanda's personality to be.)  
  
A/N 2: The idea for Amanda's stubbornness when it comes to reconciling with her father belongs to Mrs. Rhett Butler, who I am grateful to for having such a good idea. Figured I'd give her credit for the idea before I use it. A lawsuit's the last thing I need right now...  
  
Chapter Three: Eternity in an Instant  
  
Amanda sat outside in the sun, watching her little sister play in the front yard. The past hours had been hard on her, what with finding out about her mother, and knowing that she'd be the one to identify her at the morgue. "Morgue." Amanda always hated that word. It made her think of the old Hitchcock movie, "Murders in the Rue Morgue," a particularly gruesome film, even by today's standards. Thankfully, she wasn't going to be alone. When she emerged from her room that morning, she found her friends Lexi and Lucy Thomas sitting on her aunt's couch, waiting for her. The first thing they did was hug her, and then told her "come hell or high water, there's no way you're going to that morgue alone."  
"So," Lexi said, "When's 'Daddy' supposed to show up?" Lexi was sitting next to Amanda on the porch steps, watching Lucy indulge Jessie in a game of tag, while Lori slept inside.  
"Soon," Amanda said. "Too soon, if you ask me."  
"What do you mean by that?"  
"It means that I'm not all that thrilled about seeing my dad," Amanda said. "After 15 years, just because he finds Mom in the morgue, he decides it's his job to be there when I go make the ID. I'm actually glad you guys are going with me. I need the moral support."  
Just then, Jessie ran up to Amanda and asked if she would join her and Lucy in the game. Amanda accepted, glad for the moment that she had an excuse to stop thinking about her father. Although she had to wonder as she began running from Jessie-who was IT-While he was making the drive over, was he thinking of her?  
  
Woody was nervous. He was driving down the backroads, on his way to see the daughter he had left in favor of college, after 15 years. Who wouldn't be nervous in that situation? He thought back to the last time he had seen Amanda. She was only three years old, and it was the day he told Jen he was leaving.  
_"Why didn't you tell me earlier?"  
"I wanted to Jen, but I didn't know if I had gotten in or not. I wanted to make sure that I had gotten in before I told you."  
"Well what about Amanda? She's been asking me why people keep talking about Daddy going away. What am I supposed to tell her?"  
"The truth, maybe?"  
"How could I tell her the truth when I didn't even know it!"  
Jen heard the pitter-patter of small footsteps coming down the hallway of her parents' house. She looked at Woody and said, "She's got to know sometime, might as well be now. Which one of us is going to tell her?"  
"I'll do it," Woody said. "Might soften the blow if she heard it from her father."  
"Hear what?" asked a small voice from the doorway. Woody and Jen looked up, and saw Amanda standing in the doorway in her sundress, freshly awake from her nap and obviously looking for one or both of her parents. "Hear what Daddy?" Amanda repeated.  
Jen walked over to her daughter and kneeled down to be eye-level with Amanda. "Daddy's got some news to tell you," she said slowly, choosing her words as she went along. "I'm going to go in the kitchen while you two talk, OK?" Amanda nodded, and toddled over to where her father was sitting. Upon reaching the couch, she climbed into her father's lap and said, "What's up Doc?"  
Woody grinned. Amanda had been imitating Bugs Bunny lately, and she was pretty good at it-for a three year old, that is. "Not much, Bean," he said.  
Amanda smiled at her daddy. Bean was his nickname for her, and as far as she knew, she was the only one he called that. "Something need tell?" she asked.  
"Yeah, Bean. It's pretty important."  
"What is it?"  
"Daddy has to go away for a while."  
"Coldege?" asked Amanda, unable to say 'college' correctly.  
"That's right, college. Your dad's gonna be a cop."  
"G-man!" squealed Amanda, thinking of Alfalfa on 'The Little Rascals' and what he wanted to be when he grew up, naturally assuming that a cop and a G-man were the same things.  
"No, not a G-man," her father said, "A cop. Like 'Starsky and Hutch,' or the guys on 'Hill Street Blues'."  
"Pweaseman?"  
"Yeah, something like that. Anyways, I won't be seeing you for a while, so I wanted to give you this before I left."  
Woody reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. Amanda watched in wonder as he opened it, revealing a heart-shaped locket. Amanda squealed with delight and said, "Pretty! Pretty! What's inside Daddy?"  
Her father opened the locket to show her the pictures inside. On the left was a picture of Amanda and her mother, and on the right, Amanda and her dad. "That me and Mommy and you!" Amanda said excitedly.  
"Yep, that's us."  
"We happy?"  
"Yeah, we're happy..."  
_ "Then I took her back to her mom, and I left," Woody mumbled as he turned onto the street where Donna and the girls lived. "Some dad I was." He continued down the street until he saw the house. It was exactly the way Donna had described it on the phone the night before, and the first thing he saw when he looked back at the yard was a blonde-haired, brown- eyed 18 ½ year old running as fast as she could from a child that looked about 7, closely followed by another teenager, about the same age, with light brown hair and blue eyes. After a few minutes, he became aware that the blonde girl was watching him. She suddenly turned to the brunette-who had been tackled by the little kid and was untangling herself slowly-and said something, causing the brunette to stand up quickly, say something to the little kid-who went running into the house-and look at the car. Woody locked eyes with his daughter Amanda, then slowly pulled into the driveway and shut off his car.  
  
"Run Amanda, run!!!"  
"I'm trying Lucy! She's gaining on me!"  
Amanda ran across the front yard, screaming strategy to Lucy the entire time. She looked behind her and saw Jessie closing the gap between them. Suddenly, her sister disappeared. Amanda stopped next to Lucy, who was catching her breath.  
"Where'd she go?"  
Then, out of nowhere, Amanda found out. Jessie jumped out from under the porch steps and launched herself at her older sister.  
"GOTCHA!!!!" screamed Jessie, as she and her sister hit the ground.  
While Amanda was busy being attacked by Jessie, Lucy took the opportunity to look up at the road. She saw a strange car slowing down near the house, and saw the driver staring back at her. She turned to Amanda, who was trying to disentangle herself from Jessie, and said "Amanda, check out the car."  
Amanda looked at the car and stood up quickly. She leaned down to Jessie and told her to go into the house and tell Aunt Donna that she, Lexi, and Lucy were leaving. Jessie nodded and ran into the house. Amanda turned around and caught the eye of the driver as he pulled into the driveway and parked the car. She watched him get out of the car and walk towards them. When he finally got to the porch-after what seemed like an eternity-Amanda looked him straight in the eye and said something she hadn't said in 15 years: "Hi Dad."


	4. Words And Tears

Disclaimer: See chapter 2  
  
A/N: OK, did some changing around on the ratings front. Upped it to PG-13 because, well, Amanda's gonna have a bit of a mouth on her...'nuff said.  
  
Chapter Four: Words and Tears  
  
"Hi Dad."  
That word, "Dad." He hadn't heard it in so long that it was like a foreign language to him. He searched her face for any sign of-well, anything. He could tell that she wasn't all that enthusiastic about him being there, and from the looks on her friends' faces, neither were they.  
"So," Woody finally said, "You've grown since the last time I saw you."  
"Obviously," said Amanda with the barest hint of sarcasm. She turned to her friends-who had come up behind her defensively as her father had approached them-and whispered something to them, and they went over to the porch steps and sat down there.  
"Your friends?" Woody asked.  
"Yeah. Best friends, actually, from back home."  
"What're they doing here?"  
"Moral support. I guess they thought I'd need it." Amanda looked at her dad's face, to see what kind of reaction he'd have to what she just said, basically implying that she wasn't counting on him for support this time around. Finding no change in facial expression and figuring that he was trying not to show any kind of emotion at the moment, she became quiet again. She was trying to decide on something to say, when her aunt came outside.  
"Saved by the aunt," thought Amanda. Unfortunately, she was wrong. Her aunt had just come outside to tell her that she should go now and get it over with, and (this part whispered) to drop the attitude and treat her father with respect, no matter how pissed she was at him.  
Amanda nodded at her aunt and motioned to her friends, who had been in deep discussion about Woody's car on the porch steps.  
"We going?" Amanda asked her dad as her friends got in the car, admiring it and debating the year between them.  
"Yeah, we're going."  
  
The drive to the morgue had been one of the longest car rides of Amanda's life. Thankfully, her friends had warmed up to Woody pretty quickly after he mentioned that he had known their dad Alex in high school ("A grade ahead of me. Came home married to your mom the day before I graduated.") and had settled the bet as to the year the car was made in (2003, not 2004 as Lexi had thought: "But it looks just like one!"). Amanda felt numb as they walked up to the elevator doors, and she felt numb when the doors opened onto the floor that was occupied by the Boston Medical Examiners Office. Her dad told the three of them to wait while he went to talk to someone, and he left. Lexi, Amanda, and Lucy plopped down into the chairs outside the waiting room, thankful to have been left alone for a bit.  
"How're you doing Amanda?" Lucy asked, looking at her. Her friend's face had become flushed, and she made an eye signal to her sister over Amanda's shoulder that clearly conveyed that she already knew the answer.  
"Well, I was numb on the car ride, numb when we pulled into the parking lot, numb when we walked into the building, numb when we got in the elevator, and numb when we got off the elevator. Now, I'm scared as hell."  
"We're here for ya, BB," said Lexi, using Amanda's nickname in an attempt to cheer her up. Amanda grinned slightly, and things went from there. Little did they know that as they talked, Amanda's father and two men in doctor's scrubs were watching them.  
  
"So that's her," Bug said. Woody had found him and Peter in the hallway, waiting for him to arrive with his daughter, who he had just pointed out to them as the brunette girl in the middle chair. "She looks like you."  
"Yeah, she does, doesn't she?" Woody said, watching his daughter speak animatedly with her friends. "The other two are friends of hers. She told me they were here for moral support."  
"Ouch," said Peter, picking up on the hint of bitterness in Woody's voice as he said the words _moral support_. "That had to hurt a bit, coming from your own daughter, I mean."  
"Damn straight. But I get why. I mean, I haven't exactly been the best dad."  
"Could be worse," Bug said.  
"Guess so. So, which one of you is gonna take her to do the ID?"  
The two doctors blanched visibly at this. They hadn't thought of that one. A short argument ensued, finally ending with Bug agreeing to do it, because Peter "couldn't stand to be the one to make such a pretty girl cry," as he put it. So the two of them (plus Woody) walked down the hallway to the chattering girls, about to change one's life forever.  
  
"**Oh my god** Amanda," Lexi said, happening to look down the hallway. "Look what's walking down the hall with your dad."  
Amanda looked down the hallway. Her dad was coming toward them, with two men who appeared to be M.E.s in tow. The one that was shorter looked to be of Indian descent, and reminded her of a few of the kids she had gone to school with back in Wisconsin. The other one looked like the textbook definition of the phrase "tall, dark, and handsome," and was obviously the one that Lexi had been referring to.  
"If I wasn't engaged..." Lucy muttered before being elbowed by Lexi.  
"_Shh_. They're coming this way," Lexi muttered back to her twin.  
The two doctors stopped a little short of the girls, and Woody introduced them as "Dr. Winslow" and "Bug".  
"Bug's going to take you down to the autopsy room to make the identification," Peter told Amanda, "It shouldn't take very long, and your friends can go with you." Amanda nodded her thanks, then linked arms with her friends and followed Bug to the autopsy room, leaving her father and Peter standing in the hallway, watching them leave.  
While the girls were leaving, Woody had noticed Peter watching Amanda pretty closely. As soon as the girls were out of sight, he said, "You know, you can stop staring at my daughter now. She kinda left the area."  
"Huh?" Peter said, before snapping out of it and realizing he'd been caught. "Oh, yeah..."  
"I'm not stupid."  
"Never said that. She's just really pretty, is all."  
Woody paused a moment before saying, "She reminds me of her mother." The two men then walked down the hallway where the girls had gone minutes before, in case either of them were needed.  
  
Amanda's fear had been building as they walked down the hallway toward the room where the body was. Her heart was pounding faster than it ever had before, and felt like it was going to burst out of her chest, when they finally stopped outside of the room. Bug opened the door to the room, and led the three teenagers inside, stopping in front of a table that obviously had a body on it.  
"Are you ready to do this?" he asked Amanda, who-as he had just noticed-looked like she was going to need a slab next.  
Amanda took a deep breath and said, "Yeah."  
  
Suddenly a scream of pure anguish pierced the hallways of the office. Peter and Woody, who had been walking the entire time, took off at a run down to the autopsy room. Woody knew what had happened before they even reached the room: "Positive ID," he muttered to Peter.  
When they reached the autopsy room, Bug was already standing outside. He saw Peter and Woody approaching and shook his head sadly. Bracing himself, Woody looked in the window. What he saw nearly drove him to tears himself. The cover had been pulled back, revealing Jen's face, and Amanda was wild with grief at the sight. Her friends were holding her up, trying to comfort her, acting as beams so she could stand. "Makes you want to die yourself sometimes, doesn't it?" Peter said. Woody knew he was speaking from experience, and nodded. Finally, Amanda seemed to calm down, and her friends left the room so she could be alone with her dead. 


	5. Who Wants To Live Forever?

Disclaimer: See Chapter 2. I also own Amanda's friends Lexi & Lucy, & any other people who decide to show up that aren't on CJ. The title of this chapter is a song from the movie "Highlander," and it belongs to the band Queen (because as I've stated before, last thing I need is a lawsuit).  
  
A/N: Wow. More reviews! Cool beans. Thanks once more to Mrs. Rhett Butler for reviewing, and also to traceyh for putting her honest opinion into her review.  
  
(Side note to traceyh: Well, if you were 18 years old and had a 3 year old, what would you do? I'm not mad about the review; on the contrary, I'm glad I got it. Shows your true opinion, and that's great. Oh, she'll give him bloody hell all right, and she won't be the only one...But believe me, it'll all work out in the end. I'll make sure of it.)  
  
(Side note to Mrs. Rhett Butler: What do you mean 'uh-oh'? She's over 18 (granted it's only by 6 months, but it counts!), and it's not like Peter's 60! {Laughs} But I digress: he is cute! And have no fear, Woody's not gonna go all psycho-dad on him for checking out his kid...yet ...)  
  
Chapter Five: Who Wants To Live Forever  
  
Lexi was crying silently as she and Lucy left the autopsy room. She wasn't crying for herself; she was crying for Amanda. Amanda, who was still in the room behind them, staring at her mother's body with a look of incredible pain on her face, one that neither of her friends had ever seen before. She looked in the window of the room. Amanda was still there, staring at the body like she had been when they made their exit.  
"How's she doing?" asked Amanda's father.  
Lexi slowly turned to face him, and he could see from the look on her face that his daughter wasn't taking it well at all.  
"She's in shock," Lucy said, answering for her sister. "I've only seen her this way once before, when her great-grandmother died. But she's worse this time around. Last time, she was crying constantly; now, she's just...staring. It's got to be worse this time around."  
"Because it's her mother."  
"Because she was there when it happened. They attacked her first, and her mom jumped in to save her. But somehow, Amanda got thrown against something and was knocked out. The thing is, she heard the first few gunshots before she blacked out. She told us this morning that she knew deep down what had happened, but she didn't want to believe it."  
Lucy's words cut into the hearts of all present outside the room, especially Woody. He thought that Amanda had been unconscious the entire time, and it turned out that she probably knew all along that her mother was dead. He turned to the window and looked in at his daughter, trying to decide whether to go in or not.

Amanda stared at the body on the slab. It was definitely her mom. A few moments before, when the cloth was pulled down, she had screamed. Now she stared. And stared. And stared. She couldn't think of anything to do but stare. Her mind was clouded, and she was vaguely aware of the door opening and someone entering the room behind her.  
"Are you ok?" she heard her father ask.  
Amanda brushed away a few stray tears. "What's it to you?"  
"Well, I am your father."  
"Biologically, yes. Otherwise, no."  
"I know you're mad at me, and you should be. I mean, what kind of father disappears for 15 years?"  
"The shitty kind, that's what. Can you leave me the hell alone now? I really don't want to have this conversation right now."  
"Fine. But we'll have to have it someday."  
Amanda waited until she was sure her father was out of the room before pulling a locket out from inside her jeans pocket. She opened it and looked at the pictures inside of it for a moment before saying, "Yeah, we were happy. Emphasis on were." She then put the locket away, and began to cry silently.

Woody shut the door to the autopsy room, shaking his head.  
"She won't talk to me. Well, civilly anyways."  
"She make with the swearing?" asked Lexi.  
Woody nodded. "Yeah, she does that when she's upset," Lucy said. "We should've warned you."  
"Would've been nice. So, who wants to try next?"  
Lexi and Lucy shook their heads, as did Bug. The only one who wasn't saying anything was Peter. He was watching Amanda, in case she went crazy and started breaking things. He'd actually seen it happen before, and that equipment was pretty damned expensive, so he had a legitimate reason for watching her. Unfortunately, this worked against him this time, because when he turned around, the small group was staring at him intently.  
"What're you guys staring at me for?"

"The one time I decide not to pay attention......" Peter muttered. The others had made their purpose for staring known soon after he asked, and he wasn't at all happy about it. For one thing, if she was angry, she might start the aforementioned destruction. For another thing, she had started crying again, and he couldn't stand to see a pretty girl cry. Finally, he entered the autopsy room.  
She was crying again, and as the door closed, she tensed up visibly, then turned around.  
"Oh, I thought you were someone else," Amanda said, easing up a bit. "Dr. Winslow, right?"  
"Yeah."  
"They send you in to check up on me?"  
"Sort of."  
Amanda nodded, then turned back to her mother so he wouldn't see her cry.  
"Sucks, doesn't it?" he said.  
"Personal experience?"  
"Twice."  
"Who?" she asked, then added, "If you don't mind me asking."  
"Cousin and wife."  
"Sorry. That tops mine," Amanda said ruefully. She thought for a minute, then turned to face Peter and said, "Is my mom's stuff still here?"  
"Yeah, it's still here."  
"I'd like it back, if it's not too much trouble," she said quietly. "For my sisters, and my aunt. And me, of course," she said, almost as an afterthought.  
"No trouble at all." Amanda watched him walk over to a table on the far side of the room. "He looks too young to have been married once already," Amanda thought. "But he is cute. Probably has a girlfriend, though. No girl in their right mind would pass up the chance to date a guy that good-looking." Luckily, she was distracted from her thoughts by Peter, who had brought her mother's things over to her.  
Amanda picked up her mother's purse and looked through it, making sure everything was still there. As she went through the pockets, she pulled out a picture. It was of her mom and dad in high school, and she was in it too, sitting on her mom's lap. She teared up at the sight of it, and turned her head away from it, but not fast enough to not be noticed.  
"What is it?" Peter asked.  
"Just an old picture of my mom and dad," Amanda said with the barest hint of bitterness in her voice. She dropped the picture on the table, so hard it would've been considered slamming, and let a few tears fall.  
Peter looked down at the picture. He saw what Amanda had seen: happier days. "You know," he said, "You're not the only one."  
Amanda turned back to him. "I'm not the only one what?"  
"You're not the only one here who's had their dad walk out."  
"You too?"  
"When I was about 8. Luckily, I ended up with a pretty nice stepfather, so it all worked out."  
"Well, didn't work out for me. I guess some people are luckier than others," Amanda said quietly. "I wish she wasn't dead."  
"You wish a lot of things, don't you?"  
"I'm a dreamer. When I was younger, I used to wish that I was the female lead in the movie 'Highlander,'" Amanda said with a grin. "My mom always watched that movie, and I used to sneak into her room to listen to the music. Sounds kind of stupid, I guess."  
"You were younger. We all do stupid things when we're younger."  
"You know what I wish now?" Amanda said.  
"What?"  
"I wish I were one of the immortals from 'Highlander,' and that my mom was too. That way, she'd be alive, and she could still be here for my little sisters."  
"It's a nice dream."  
"Yeah," Amanda said, looking again at her mother's body. "But when you really think about it, who would want to live forever anyways?"


	6. Passed Us By

Disclaimer: See Chapter 2.

A/N: (removes the "On Hiatus" sign from her story) Well, it's been a while, huh? After all that writing in two days, I ran out of ideas! Everything that I had thought of for my story up to that point, GONE. I kid you not, it ALL went. So I've been using the last week or so to get my thoughts in order and try to remember what the hell I was going to write in the first place, and it worked! So here it is, chapter 6! And I promise, from now on, I will NOT go a week or more without writing a chapter, and if something causes me to, if I find out ahead of time, I will be warning you. Just letting you know.

(Side note to Mrs. Rhett Butler: That makes sense. But you will learn later on that Amanda has had to grow up pretty damned fast, which makes her more mature than most. Let's just say, she'll be elaborating on what she told Peter in chapter 5 about not being so lucky when it comes to parents. May not be in this chapter, but it will happen soon.)

Chapter Six: Passed Us By

"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust," droned the priest, but Amanda wasn't listening. It had been three days since she had identified her mother's body, and she was back in Wisconsin with her little sisters, her aunt, her best friends, and her father for her mother's funeral. All Amanda could think about were those last horrible days before the funeral, but most of all, the terrible moment at the morgue when she had to tell Jessie that their mother was dead…

_Amanda and Peter left the autopsy room, and Amanda nodded to Lucy and Lexi to let them know she was ok. What they didn't know was that in a pocket in her purse, she had Peter's cell phone number. He had told her to call him if she needed to talk to someone who had been in her situation before, and she had gratefully accepted his kind gesture. Amanda looked down the hallway, and her heart sank. Her aunt was waiting at the end of the hallway, with Jessie and Lori in tow. She tensed up again, knowing what was about to happen._

_"What's wrong?" Peter asked._

_"My aunt's here," Amanda whispered. "With my little sisters. They don't know about Mom yet. Well, Aunt Donna does, but not Jessie and Lori. Oh my god, how am I going to tell them? Lori won't understand, but Jessie, she'll-she'll-How am I going to do this?"_

_"Do the best you can," Peter said. "That's all you can do."_

_Amanda smiled weakly at him, a small gesture of thanks, before she walked down the hallway towards her sisters._

_"Jessie, can you come with me please?" Amanda asked, trying desperately to keep herself under control. "There's something I need to tell you."_

_Jessie nodded, and they walked to an empty room not far from where the others were standing. When she was sure Jessie was in the room, Amanda closed the door behind her._

_"Jessie, you need to sit down," Amanda said._

_Jessie sat down and looked at her oldest sister, wondering why she looked like she was going to cry. "What's wrong Manda?" she asked innocently._

_Amanda couldn't take it. She began to cry silently again. Jessie leaned out of the chair and put her arms around Amanda, trying to comfort her. After a few minutes, Amanda wiped her tears away on her sleeve, and said, "Jessie, remember the accident me and Mommy had a few days ago?"_

_"Yes I do. You were in the hospital, and you came home. But where's Mommy?"_

_Amanda choked up, and tried to decide the best way to tell Jessie. "Jessie, Mommy's gone to Heaven, to be with Nana Ruth and Uncle Andrew."_

_Jessie blanched, completely shocked. "YOU'RE LYING!!!!" she screamed. "YOU'RE LYING TO ME!!!!"_

_"Jessie, honey, I'm not lying," Amanda said delicately. "She was just hurt too badly, and God decided that it was best that she went to Heaven." As she spoke those words, trying to get her sister to believe her, Amanda was thinking the complete opposite: That God was unfair, and that it WASN'T best that their mother went to Heaven._

_"NO!" screamed Jessie as she ran for the door. "MOMMY ISN'T DEAD! SHE ISN'T SHE ISN'T SHE ISN'T!!!!!!!!!!!!"_

_Amanda tried to catch her at the door, but Jessie was too fast. She flung the door open, and took off down the hallway, in the direction they had come, past her aunt and other sister, crying hard._

_Amanda watched Lexi catch her little sister, and as Lexi tried to calm Jessie down, she slid to the floor, losing her composure completely. On the way down, she realized someone had caught her. Amanda leaned into her father's shoulder, and cried until she could cry no more._

"Amanda," a voice said. Amanda snapped out of her memory to the sound of Lexi's voice beside her.

"Yeah?" she said.

"They're starting the flower line," Lexi said, handing her friend a few roses. Amanda shifted Lori into her other arm, and-taking the roses in one hand and Jessie's hand her other-got ready to leave her mother a final goodbye. She decided to wait until the line went down, and while she waited, she watched the other people go up with flowers and lay them on the white surface of the coffin. She watched her grandmother Baxter lean over the coffin and kiss it before leaving the rose and being lead away crying by her grandfather, her other aunts and uncles stroke the coffin lovingly, crying all the while, and her stepfather stare for a moment at the coffin before dropping the rose onto it. Then, it was Amanda, Jessie, and Lori's turns. Amanda slowly lead Jessie up to the coffin, then leaned down herself to kiss it, and for Lori to kiss it as well. Jessie began to sniffle, but she also kissed the coffin, and then dropped her rose onto it, Amanda and Lori following suit.

After they had left the roses, Amanda handed Lori to Lucy, whispered something in her ear, and walked away from the guests, who were now milling around and talking. She thought that no one saw her leave, but one person did.

* * *

"Hey Nana Ruth, Uncle Andrew," Amanda said. She was standing over the adjacent graves of her great-grandmother and great-uncle. Amanda leaned down and put the other roses on the graves, then stood up and wiped her eyes, remembering how she had lost her great-grandmother to a swift illness, and her great-uncle 4 months later, simply from the grief of losing his mother. She also remembered how she was told she couldn't attend her great-uncle's funeral, all because she was at camp for the week. 

"I guess you probably know already, but Mom died a few days ago. It was a carjacking. They attacked me first, and then…then they killed Mom. I heard the shots, but I couldn't help her. Anyways, I want you to take care of her for us, OK? I don't know what I'm gonna do without her…Hell, if I'm gonna be completely honest, I'm not worried about myself. I'm more worried about Jessie and Lori, and what's gonna happen to them. Jessie's gonna be able to remember Mom, but Lori-oh God, Lori. She's only a baby. She's not gonna be able to remember anything about Mom. Her chance at all the stuff me and Jessie got to do with Mom…it just passed her by, you know? She's never gonna have what I had, what Jessie had. It sucks. It sucks so much that I can't even begin to believe it.

My dad's here, you know. Remember him? The one that got Mom pregnant at 15 years old, then took off 3 years later, abandoning his only daughter? Yep, he's here too. He actually came back 4 days ago. Four days. Compare that to 15 years, and it makes him seem like a really shitty parent-which he is. But I have to give the guy credit, he's trying to make up for it. He's been coming over every day, to see how I'm doing, how Jessie's doing. Heh, he even convinced Jessie to stop being mad at me, 'cause she was pretty pissed off when she found out about Mom-thought I was lying to her.

Now comes the hard thing: he wants me to live with him. I don't really see what choice I have, seeing as how Aunt Donna's moving back here so Jessie and Lori can be with their dad. Charlie's been really good about the whole thing, even told me I could live with him, Jessie, and Lori. But my life's in Boston now. The majority of my friends are there-you know, Lexi, Lucy, Connor, Lucas, that whole bunch-and I have a job there. For the last 6 months, it's been my home-while Mom tried to get things settled so Charlie could come out to be with us-and it's still my home. If you guys could just help me by giving me a sign of some sort, I'd really appreciate it."

Amanda finished speaking, and pulled out the locket she was wearing around her neck, playing with the chain. Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around, and saw her dad a few feet away from her. He stopped and stood next to her, staring at the graves as Amanda had been doing a few moments before.

"How long?" Woody asked, gesturing at the graves.

"Two years," Amanda said. "So, why'd you come looking for me?"

"I was worried about you. I know you don't think I care, but you're my daughter, my _only_ daughter, and I do care."

Amanda looked her father in the eye, and for the first time since he pulled into her aunt's driveway, she looked at him the way any daughter would look at her father, a look without any malice or hatred. "Thanks," she said.

Woody noticed that she was playing with something while he was talking, and he noticed that it was a locket. The locket that he had given her the day he left.

"You kept the locket?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah," Amanda replied. "Partly because Mom made me, but partly because I wanted to."

"You actually wanted something that would remind you of me?"

"In my own strange way, yes. Believe me, for most of my life, I hated the fact that you left. But it kinda helped, having this around. Was like, you were still there, even though you weren't. Reminded me that even though you did something really shitty, you cared enough to leave me something of yours, so I could remember you."

Amanda paused for a moment, realizing what had just happened. She had actually spoken civilly to her father, and had admitted what she had refused to admit before: she didn't REALLY hate him. "Thanks Nana and Uncle Andrew," Amanda thought. She took her locket off and opened it, looking at the pictures inside.

Woody stood behind her and looked over her shoulder at the pictures. "You know, you were a really sweet kid when you were younger," he said. "Makes me regret going off and leaving you behind. My college friends would've gotten a kick out of you."

"How so?" Amanda asked, now curious.

"Well, when you were little, I remember that you used to do a really funny impression of Bugs Bunny. Always the same thing, though. You always said-"

"What's up, Doc?" Amanda said, grinning. "It was my favorite Bugs Bunny line. That, and the whole 'Duck Season, Wabbit Season' thing. Although, as I remember, you were waaaaaay better at that than I was."

Woody looked shocked. "You remember that?"

"Yeah," Amanda said, facing her father. "That, and how you used to call me 'Bean' all the time. Mom tried to keep it up after you left, but I remember saying 'Don't call me that, that's DADDY'S name for me!' to her a LOT."

Woody laughed, then was silent. For a moment, neither of them spoke. Then Amanda said, "I've been thinking about what you said, about moving in with you when we get back to Boston, and I've made my decision."

"What would the answer be then?" Woody asked.

Amanda smiled at her father, the first genuine smile she had given anyone in days. "I accept. That is, if you think you can deal with having a near-nineteen-year-old around all the time, constantly bugging you and all…"

"Great!" Woody said with a smile. "It'll be nice to have a female presence in the apartment for a change."

"You mean, 'Finally! Someone who can annoy me when my girlfriend isn't around!' That, and 'Now I won't have to worry about burning the damned food when I cook,' right?" Amanda said with a devilish grin.

"Very funny," Woody said, before doing a double take. "Wait a minute, how did you know I have a girlfriend?"

"Heard it when I was at the M.E.'s office the other day, signing the release forms."

"From who?"

"Oh, a certain employee-who shall remain nameless-let it slip."

"OK, when did Peter tell you?" Woody said, figuring that he had been the one to tell her.

"Who said it was Peter?" Amanda said with an "I'm so innocent right now it's painful" look, knowing full well that it wasn't Peter who had told her.

"OK then, if it wasn't Peter, then who was it?"

"I'll probably be the next one in on a slab for telling you this, but it was Bug. I saw Jordan when I was signing the papers, and I asked who she was, and he accidently told me. Please don't hurt him."

"Don't worry, I won't," Woody said. "So, why did you decide to accept?"

Amanda thought for a moment before answering.

"I only have one parent left, and I don't want the chance to get to know him pass me by."


	7. Moving In

Disclaimer: Well guess what! Last night I bought "Crossing Jordan," so I now own it! (end sarcasm) You know the drill...

A/N: I can't believe the kind of reception this story is getting. Usually, stories like this would get the torch-and-pitchfork reception, but I've been getting nothing but good reviews. Knew passing around the $20s would help! {Laughs} Anyways, thanks to Mrs. Rhett Butler and Jacinda for reviewing. Your patronage is appreciated.

(Side note to Mrs. Rhett Butler: Grief tends to bring people together, and that's what happened in the case of this story. That's why I figured to pair Amanda with Peter: the one other person who would understand how she's feeling and know how to deal with it. And about the other thing: I had to deal with that too. Two older relatives of mine that I was very, very close to passed away when I was 14 (which is where Nana Ruth and Uncle Andrew came from), and I had some problems dealing with it. I did what many writers do: drew upon my own experiences. Keep on reading, it'll get more interesting, I promise! And thank you again for reviewing! {My last older man was 4 years older than me, btw, and I'm going on 17. And I actually dated him, but that was 2 years ago. Do the math!})

(Side note to Jacinda: Thanks! Of course I'm going to write more. The story wouldn't make sense if I ended it there! All my plans would go down the drain! {Laughs} Thank you for reviewing; seriously, I really appreciate it.)

Chapter Seven: Moving In

"Incoming!" Amanda shouted as she came through the door of her new room with a large box of clothes. Woody moved out of the way to avoid being hit by the box. Upon their return to Boston the previous day, Amanda's friends had moved her mattress and furniture to her room at her father's apartment and set everything up. Amanda had begun moving her clothes and things in the next day, and was finally reaching the end of the load.

"How many more boxes?" Woody asked.

"Just one more, and it's mostly random posters and stuff," Amanda said, putting the box-which held her comforter and pillows-down and putting the contents on her bed.

"Need any help with it?"

"No thanks, I think I can manage it," Amanda said. Her phone rang just then, and Woody walked out of the room to give her a bit of privacy. Amanda looked at the number and recognized it immediately. She answered the phone while shutting her bedroom door.

"Hey."

"Hey. When'd you get back?"

"Last night. My stuff was already moved into Dad's place, so I'm staying there."

"So you decided to move in?"

"Yeah. I mean, I didn't have much of a choice. Got no relatives in Boston, and my friends' parents would rather shoot themselves than let ANOTHER teenager into the house."

Peter laughed. "Well, at least you have a place to stay." Suddenly, he heard a crash in the background, and Amanda saying "Damn it!" quite loudly.

"Is everything ok over there?"

"Yeah, it's cool," Amanda said, trying to keep a hold of the phone with one hand and the box-now refilled after a bit of a spill-with the posters in it with her other hand. "I just dropped the box I was carrying."

"Anything break?"

"Nope. Just a box of old movie posters and stuff anyways."

"What kind of movie posters?"

"This is gonna sound really weird, but it's a collection of mine. I've got 'St. Elmo's Fire,' 'The Breakfast Club,' 'The Outsiders,' 'Pretty in Pink,' and all the Universal Monster movies-you know, Frankenstein, Dracula, that kind of thing. Oh, and some Stephen King posters."

"Stephen King, eh?" Peter asked, surprised. "Which ones?"

"Whoa, hold on there," Amanda said with a laugh as she hung the posters on her wall. "I'm only halfway through the monster posters!" She hung up her Frankenstein poster, and reached into the box, naming the framed posters as she pulled them out of the box and hung them on the wall. "Ok, here we go! We have 'Carrie,' 'The Shining,' 'Creepshow 1 AND 2,' 'Stand By Me,' 'Secret Window,' and-ew ugh ugh ugh. I thought I got rid of this one."

"Which one would that be?"

"Urgh. 'Sleepwalkers.' I HATED that movie. Way too gross of a storyline for me," said Amanda, as she hung the aforementioned poster up in between 'The Bride of Frankenstein' and 'Stand By Me'. "I don't know why I still have this. I guess my mom snuck it back in with my stuff the last time I cleaned my room."

"I would ask when that was, but I have a sneaking suspicion that I don't want to know the answer."

"Ha ha, Peter. Very funny," said Amanda sarcastically. "I'll have you know that it was a year ago, and it wasn't that bad at all."

"Dare I ask?"

"Well, I do remember my mom saying something about getting it declared a national disaster area, but other than that...OK, so it was pretty bad, but that's beside the point!" Amanda was trying to sound angry, but she was laughing.

"Well, I have to go. Just wanted to check in with you, see how you're doing. Besides, I gotta get ready for work."

"Got the graveyard shift tonight?" asked Amanda

"Ha ha ha. But yeah, I do."

"So then, I guess I'll talk to you later. That is, if you need to talk."

"OK. Thanks, by the way. This really means a lot."

"I figured," Peter said with a grin. "Well, bye."

"Bye," said Amanda. She hung up and looked around her room, now completely decorated. "Welcome home Amanda," she said.

* * *

In another apartment, in another part of Boston, Peter hung up his phone. He thought about his conversation with Amanda as he got ready for work, and as he was leaving for work. He knew how she was feeling, and understood it too. "Damn," he swore. "Why'd she have to be Woody's kid?" Under normal circumstances, he would've already asked her out. But he knew these weren't normal circumstances by any means. "For one," he thought, "She's Woody's daughter, and he'd probably shoot any guy who got within five feet of her. And for another thing, she's just lost her mother. What kind of an asshole would ask someone out who's still dealing with that?"

He decided it would be better to wait. Because he knew that sometime, she'd be feeling better, and when that day came, he was going to be there. "Besides," Peter thought, "It's not like I'm 60."


	8. At The Pogue

Disclaimer: You know what I own. You know what I don't own.

A/N: Well, I was only going to post Chapter Seven tonight, but since it was so damned short (and because I wanted to advance the story), here's Chapter Eight! Oh, and we have made a time jump. This chapter takes place 3 months after the events of Chapter Seven, and some of the chapters after this may do a time jump of one week. Just letting you all know so you don't get confused. And thanks to Mrs. Rhett Butler for reviewing!

(Side note to Mrs. Rhett Butler: Wow. That was quick! {Laughs} Aww, sorry 'bout that. Must've sucked. Well, you'll get to see part of it in flashbacks, and part of it in real time {real story time, anyways}, but either way, you'll see how Peter helps Amanda. Yes, it could be dangerous. But I don't REALLY think Woody would shoot someone for dating his daughter. Do you?)

Chapter Eight: At The Pogue

"So," Amanda said from her room, "Where we going tonight that I have to dress semi-nicely?"

Amanda was in her room attempting to get dressed. When she had come in from work, her dad had told her that she needed to change into something other than her usual "jeans and a vintage tee-shirt" outfit. So she was currently rifling through her closet, trying to find something.

"Damn," Amanda thought. "Been living here 3 months already, and I still can't find anything in this freaking closet." Finally she pulled out the outfit she had been looking for, and began to get dressed.

"We're going to go meet someone," Woody-already dressed-answered from the living room. "It's a pretty big deal, so that's why you need to wear something that looks semi-nice."

"Aha!" thought Amanda. "I have a feeling I'm finally gonna meet my dad's girlfriend, Dr. Cavanaugh. He's right, then, about having to look decent." She finished dressing and walked out into the living room.

"So, how do I look?" she asked Woody, executing a runway model turn.

"Beautiful," he replied. "So, ready to go? I've got a taxi waiting downstairs, seeing as how my car's out of order."

Amanda blushed. "I tell you, it was an accident! I just got a little scared!"

"Getting a little scared is one thing," Woody said as they left the apartment and got into the elevator. "Getting so scared that you hit the gas instead of the brake and back my car up a hill-sticking it at almost a 90 degree angle-is quite another."

"OK, that is SO not fair! One, the tow truck was able to get it out of the grass without killing the landscaping. Two, it was more like a grassy knoll. And three, IT WAS TWO MONTHS AGO," Amanda said, laughing.

Her father had been referring to an incident that had happened two months ago. Woody had been teaching Amanda how to drive under Boston laws so she could get her Boston driver's license, and when he tried to re-teach going in reverse, Amanda had lost control of the car, panicked, and accidently hit the gas instead of the brakes. The people at the mechanic's shop had told Woody it would take a few weeks to fix it, but two months had passed, and it still wasn't fixed.

"Anyways," Woody said with a laugh as they got into the taxi, "it's ok. At least it happened BEFORE you got out on the road!"

"Well, at least I still got my license," Amanda said, pulling it out of her purse and waving it at her father.

"The question is, though, how long are you gonna have it for before it happens again?"

The conversation went on in the same vein for a while, and then the taxi stopped in front of a bar. The sign on the bar read: The Pogue.

* * *

"Dad, you do realize that I'm only a month short of my 19th birthday, right?" 

"Yeah, so?"

"So, this is a BAR!" said Amanda. "Sure, I could waitress here, but damn, it's a BAR! You do realize I'll die of thirst here, don't you?"

Woody and Amanda were standing at the door of the Pogue. Amanda was baffled at the fact that her father brought her to a bar. Woody was trying to explain to her-while laughing uproariously-that they served soda too. After a few minutes-mostly to give Woody time to stop laughing-they went inside.

Once inside, Amanda noticed that this was, indeed, not a normal bar. For one, there was a stage at the far end, and two, there were TVs that were NOT playing sports on them situated around the bar. She was still looking around when Woody nudged her and said, "Come on, I see her."

"Her," thought Amanda. "I was right!"

Woody led Amanda over to the main bar, where she saw Jordan, Bug, a few people that she didn't know, Lily-who she knew from going to the morgue for grief counseling-and...

Amanda caught her breath. Peter was there too, and he was looking right at her. "And oh geez, does he look good," Amanda thought. "Glad I look decent."

Then Amanda's thoughts were interrupted by her father. He was walking towards her with a tall brunette woman that Amanda knew by sight was Dr. Jordan Cavanaugh.

"Amanda," Woody said. "This is my girlfriend, Jordan. Jordan, this is my daughter, Amanda."

Jordan smiled and extended her hand to Amanda. Amanda took it and said, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Dr. Cavanaugh."

"Please, call me Jordan," she said. "Everyone else does."

"OK," Amanda said. She was beginning to like Jordan already.

"Well, I'm sure you're wondering who some of these people are that are with me," Jordan said, "So I'll introduce them." As Jordan went around the table, Amanda learned that the older man was Dr. Garrett Macy; the tall, British man was Dr. Nigel Townsend; and the blonde girl about her height was Dr. Devon Maguire. After the introductions had been made, and everyone was settled in, Amanda took a seat at the bar, a couple seats away from everyone else. The bartender asked her if she wanted something to drink, and she asked for a Shirley Temple. He returned a few moments later with her drink. Amanda nodded her thanks, and then sat there with her drink, watching her father and his friends.

* * *

Peter had looked up from his drink when Woody and Amanda came over, and was stunned. Amanda looked beautiful. She was wearing a long black skirt, a red shirt, stockings and black heels, and her hair was down around her shoulders and curly, the soft kind. He noticed she was looking back at him, and he noticed just as well how quickly she looked away when Jordan approached. After a while, he watched her go over to a seat that was a few down from the group, and sit with her drink. He got up and walked over to her.

"This seat taken?"

Amanda looked up from her drink and saw Peter standing next to her. "Go ahead," she said. "I'm not expecting anyone."

Peter sat down next to her with his drink. "You look depressed," he said.

Amanda laughed. "What makes you think that?" she asked.

"Well, you're sitting over here by yourself, you're playing with a coffee stirrer and a napkin, and you're head's hanging so low it'll be on the bar soon."

"Oh, yeah. That does kinda give off a depressed vibe, doesn't it?" Amanda replied.

"So what's wrong?"

Amanda sighed. "You want the abridged version or the full version?"

"That bad?"

"I just feel really lonely and left out. I'm the newbie here, and of course my friends wouldn't come here. They'd never be allowed in a bar unless they were working. So I'm pretty much alone here."

Peter stared at her for a second. Amanda laughed. "I mean, alone in the sense that everyone knows everyone already, and I only know a few people."

"I know how that feels," Peter said. "Not too long ago, I was in the same position. Low man on the totem, didn't know anybody, was a bit of a smartass."

"Hey, being a smartass is my job!" Amanda said.

Peter laughed. "Well then, I guess we're more alike then we thought."

"Guess so," Amanda said. She thought back to their last phone conversation, in which he had said something very similar.

_"Well, you're not the only one," Amanda said._

_"What do you mean?"_

_"I tend to go off into my own little universe sometimes, especially when I'm upset. I just go into my room, shut the door, and do whatever I feel like doing to keep me calm."_

_"Well then, Ms. Baxter," Peter said, trying-and failing-to sound like a psychologist, "I guess we're somewhat alike."_

_"Maybe so," Amanda said with a smile._

"So, Amanda, you need a refill on that-what the hell is that?"

Amanda laughed. "It's a Shirley Temple-the non-alcoholic kind. And yes, I would love another."

The bartender walked over to them, and Peter said "How about another Shirley Temple for the lady here, hold the whiskey, and a glass of water for me." He grinned at Amanda and said, "Gotta make sure they're not serving the underage people like yourself."

"Thanks for the rousing show of chivalry," Amanda said with a grin. "It was very refreshing."

"We aim to please," Peter said as the bartender came back with their drinks.

"Why the water?" Amanda asked. "I could've sworn that was a gin and tonic in that glass when you came over here."

"I don't drink very much, or at all," Peter replied. "Never have."

Amanda took a sip of her Shirley Temple, then looked at the glass. "I love these things. My mom got me hooked on them when I was little. Damn their addictive taste and bright red color!"

Peter laughed. She was so funny when she tried to be, and over the last three months, she had been trying harder to be funny. She was so much better than she had been 3 months ago, and in that split second, Peter made a decision that had been bugging him the entire time he was sitting there.

"Um, Amanda, I was wondering something," he said.

"What would that be?" she asked.

"God, this is tougher than I thought it would be," Peter thought. "Come on Winslow, pull yourself together. It's not that hard."

"Peter?" Amanda said. "What did you want to ask me?"

"Well, I was wondering, if maybe sometime, you'd want to go do something. Like dinner and a movie, maybe?"

Amanda almost choked on her Shirley Temple. She couldn't believe it. He was asking her out. He was actually asking her out. She recovered quickly, and gave her answer.

"Sure, I'd love to."

Now it was Peter's turn to nearly choke on his drink. He couldn't believe she had said yes. "Really?" he asked.

Amanda laughed and said, "Really. I mean, what harm could it possibly do?"

* * *

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?" Woody screamed.

They had gotten home from the bar 10 minutes before, and Amanda decided it would be a good time to tell her dad where she was gonna be Friday night. Unfortunately, he didn't share her opinions.

"What do you mean what the hell was I thinking?" Amanda said. "He likes me, I like him, we've been talking back and forth on the phone for the last 3 months, so when he asked me, I thought it would be only natural that I said yes!"

"Picking up dates in a BAR!?!?" Woody said angrily. "God, even I don't do that anymore!"

"Well, you don't need to. You've already got a date."

"But he's 8 years older than you are!"

"Lexi and Lucy's uncle is 10 years older than his wife, and I have a friend whose mom is 8 years younger than her dad, so it's not all that uncommon."

Woody sighed. "I'm just worried about you, is all. I mean, what father wouldn't be?"

"And I understand that, but you could trust me a bit more. And for that matter, you could trust Peter too. It's not like he's been stalking me."

Woody had to laugh at that one. His daughter was right. "OK fine. You can go out with him. But the first time he brings you home drunk, his ass is history."

Amanda laughed and hugged her dad. "Thanks Dad. I knew you'd say yes."

Woody watched his daughter go down the hallway to her room and thought, "Strike that. The first time he DOESN'T bring her home, his ass is history," before going to his own room and turning off the lights.


	9. The Sunset and Beyond

Disclaimer: You know what I own, and what I don't.

A/N: Don't you just hate it when your creative muse runs away with your inspiration? I sure as hell do. Think mine goes off to the Caribbean every so often with my inspiration. Don't know why the Caribbean, but I have a sneaking suspicion that my watching a certain movie too much had something to do with it...Just had to get that out. Anyways, back to the task at hand: the author's note! I figured out already that there will be a sequel to this story, and that this story will probably only run to about 20 chapters, 30 at the most. All depends on what I feel like doing. I have couples figured out within the rest of the group, and I can tell you this: THERE WILL BE A WEDDING IN THIS STORY. Who it is for, I will leave up to you to guess. Now, on with the story!

Chapter Nine: The Sunset and Beyond

"HEY AMANDA!" Lexi screamed over the noise of the club. The three of them-Lexi, Lucy, and Amanda-were at work behind the "bar" of the Sunset Club, and the noise level was at what the girls referred to as "Toxic."

"WHAT?"

"YOUR CELL PHONE IS RINGING!"

Amanda picked up her purse. Sure enough, the sounds of "We Are The Champions" by Queen could be heard from within. She dived into her purse and picked up her phone. She ran into the back room as she answered it.

* * *

"Hello?"

"Hey Amanda. Rough night so far?"

Amanda smiled. It was Peter. "Well, we're not even full yet, but it's already Toxic out there."

"Toxic?"

"In English, that means: really, really, freaking loud," Amanda said. "I had to go in the back storage room to answer this, and I probably wouldn'tve even heard the ringing if Lexi hadn't told me."

"Well then, it's a good thing she was listening, or I would've never gotten a hold of you."

"Speaking of which, why did you need to get a hold of me?"

"Just wanted to tell you to be ready to go in about 10 minutes, 'cause I'm almost at the club."

"Cool," Amanda said. "See you then." She listened for the click, and then hung up herself. Amanda smiled to herself, then went back out into the Toxic noise of the Sunset Club.

* * *

"HEY LEXI!"

"WHAT?"

"JILL HERE YET?" Amanda looked around for their friend Jill, and finally spotted her just coming in through the storage room door.

"YEAH, I'M HERE. WHADDA YA NEED?" Jill shouted.

"COVER FOR ME, OK? I GOT A DATE IN TEN MINUTES."

"SURE THING. WHAT'RE OLD FRIENDS FOR?"

"THANKS! I OWE YOU." Amanda shouted.

"NO PROBLEM. I'LL WAIVE THE FEE THIS TIME." Jill yelled with a laugh.

Amanda laughed, and the four of them went back to work.

* * *

The first thing Peter noticed about the club was that it was LOUD. The second thing he noticed was that the bar was stocked with various types of soda, as opposed to beer. And the third thing he noticed was Amanda. She was sitting at the bar, talking to her friends, and she looked great.

"Well," he thought, "here goes nothing."

He made his way through the crowd to the bar, taking in more of the club as he went. He saw a stage at the other end of the club, along with what appeared to be a tech booth above and to the left of the stage. Finally, he reached the bar, and Amanda.

* * *

Lexi was the first one to spot him. "Amanda, you might wanna turn around sometime this millennium."

Amanda turned around and saw Peter weaving his way through the crowd. She turned back around to her friends, quickly. "Oh my god," she said. "He's here."

"Well, well, well," said Jill, who had just caught sight of Peter. "Nice choice Amanda, very nice choice. A for presentation."

"Oh my god Jill," Amanda said, thoroughly embarrassed. "Do NOT, I repeat, do NOT start the rating scale again...I'm begging you."

Jill laughed. "Don't get so uptight Amanda. I was only kidding. Besides, from what you've told us, it sounds like you didn't have much choice in the matter."

"What do you mean by that?" Amanda asked.

"What the simple creature here means is, it's obvious he's had his eye on you from the first," Lexi said, thwapping Jill on the back of the head. "So it was only a matter of time."

"Amanda, just calm down," Lucy said. "Besides, he's gonna be at the bar any second now, so you definitely want to be ready. And being calm wouldn't hurt either."

Just as Amanda got herself semi-calmed down, Lexi said "3...2...1." Amanda turned around and said, "Hi Peter."

"Hello yourself. Ready to go?"

"Definitely," Amanda said, grinning.

"So, let's get out of here. The noise is getting a bit too Toxic."

The girls behind the bar laughed and clapped. Amanda turned around, gave them the "shut-it-now-on-pain-of-death" glare, then followed Peter out of the club.

* * *

"So, what did you think of it?" Peter asked Amanda. They had just gotten out of the movie, and were walking down by the harbor.

"It was awesome. I can't believe they still have theaters that show the old movies here in Boston. We didn't even have one in Wisconsin."

"You've really never seen 'Psycho' before?"

"I tried once, when I was about 13, but I ended up watching 'The Graduate' instead. Somehow, that ended up being scarier for me than 'Psycho' would've been. Still haven't figured that one out..." Amanda said, trying to look thoughtful.

Peter laughed. "That's not really the kind of thing a 13-year-old should be watching, when you really think about it. How'd you end up watching it anyways?"

"Well, Lexi, Lucy, and I were at our friend Jill's house, and her mom had fallen asleep, but we hadn't yet, and we decided to watch TV. It just so happened that the movie was on, and it was either that, 'Psycho,' or 'Carrie,' so since it was about 11:00 at night, there was definitely no contest," Amanda said with a laugh.

"What'd your mom say when she found out?"

"Better now than later," said Amanda. "I still can't believe she wasn't pissed at me."

"Well, from what you've told me, your mom's family is pretty lenient," Peter said.

Amanda laughed again and said, "Yes, they definitely were lenient. I mean, by the time I was 8 years old, I already knew how to play Penny Ante-and I wasn't too bad at it, if I do say so myself."

"You were playing poker at age 8?" said Peter with a look of complete disbelief on his face.

"Yeah," Amanda said. "Don't look so surprised. We weren't REALLY betting anything. My great-grandmother wouldn't let us. It was always pennies, or we didn't play at all. I think that was her way of teaching the younger generation how to count by twos and threes."

Suddenly a cool breeze blew through the harbor. Amanda rubbed her arms with her hands. "Damn it," she thought. "The one time I don't bring a coat..."

Peter looked over at Amanda and noticed she was shivering. "You cold?" he asked her.

"A little," Amanda replied, obviously more than a little cold.

"Want my jacket?" Peter asked.

"Then you'll be cold," Amanda said, knowing it was a lame-ass thing to say. But being as she was cold, she couldn't really think of any other reason.

"I think I can stand it," Peter said with a grin. He took his jacket off and put it on Amanda's shoulders. "Better?" he asked.

"Yeah, better. Thanks," Amanda said faintly. They walked for a while in silence. "What time is it?" Amanda asked when they reached Peter's car.

Peter checked his watch. "Almost midnight. We better get going. The last thing I want is your dad to shoot me for not getting you home on time."

Amanda laughed as she got into the car and buckled the seatbelt. "He told me that he'd only do that if you brought me home drunk, so I think we're safe."

"Here's hoping," Peter said as he started the car and drove off towards Amanda's apartment building.

* * *

"I had a great time," Amanda said. They were standing outside the door to her father's apartment.

"Maybe we can do it again sometime," Peter said after a moment's thought. He waited to see her response.

Amanda smiled and said, "I'd like that."

"So, how about next Saturday? Maybe I could come down to the club that night and check it out. That is, if you're not already working that night."

"Sounds good to me. Usually, the nights I don't bartend or work the tech booth, I'm there anyways; and I have Saturdays off, so it'll work perfectly."

"Great," Peter said. They stood there in silence for a minute or two. Finally, Amanda said, "Um, here's your jacket back. I think my dad might get weird ideas if-well, um..." She took the jacket off her shoulders and handed it back to Peter.

Peter took the jacket, laughed, and said, "Thanks."

Once again, there was silence. Then, it happened. They were standing mere inches apart, and as Peter leaned his head down, Amanda lifted her head up. In a split second, their lips met in one single, perfect kiss.

* * *

A/N 2: While I was writing this chapter, I was listening to these different songs I had downloaded from Kazaa Lite, and I got bored with listening to "California Dreaming" and decided to change the song. I ended up changing it to "Take My Breath Away" by Berlin, and ironically, it happened just as I was writing the last part of this chapter. Funny how music can inspire you...


	10. A Leap Of Faith

Disclaimer: This is really just taking up space, but since I don't wanna get sued...

A/N: Once again, I apologize for the break. I was grounded and unable to use the computer due to my not calling my parents from my friend's house on time. So, isn't it just amazing how I've been able to come up with Author's Notes for every chapter in one way or another? {Crickets chirp} OK, be that way then. Anyways, thanks to Mrs. Rhett Butler for reviewing.

(Side note to Mrs. Rhett Butler: I'd Mary-Sue myself into a fanfic with Peter myself, but...{See first 9 chapters}. {Laughs} Kidding, kidding. Would it be a Maroon 5 songfic? Just wondering...I really liked the other ones. Love the band. Well, then, you need to get him a girl! I mean, if Dr. Macy can get dates occasionally, then Peter sure as hell could. {Laughs} Could a collaboration be in the works? Anyways, about the Woody/Jordan thing: maybe, maybe not. Depends on how evil I feel. A magician never reveals his or her secrets.)

Chapter Ten: A Leap of Faith

Time went by fast for Amanda. She was always either out with her friends at the Sunset, hanging out with her dad and Jordan, at the Pogue waitressing (a second job that she had gratefully accepted when it was offered by Jordan), out somewhere with Peter, or skulking around the morgue helping Nigel get bugs out of the computer system; and before she knew it, a month had gone by, and her graduation day was swiftly approaching.

With the help of her father and Jordan, Amanda had filled out pages upon pages of college applications, and had sent them out, waiting for responses. Amanda said that she was "stupid to think any Ivy League school would take her, what with the way her grades had been earlier on in school," but her father had told her "sometimes you just need to take a leap of faith and see where it gets you." Amanda noticed that the majority of the time he told her that, he would throw a sideways glance at Jordan and grin.

So when the first few letters saying "thanks, but no thanks" came in, yeah, Amanda was disappointed, but she wasn't crushed. She knew that one of them would accept her. So what if Penn State, Edinboro, Pitt, and USC said no? The others might say yes. But when the letter came from Yale, Amanda went into her room and hung a "Do Not Disturb" sign-made for her by her little sister Jessie-and stayed there for hours. When, out of concern for his daughter, Woody cracked the door open to see what she was doing, he was relieved to discover she was on the phone ranting with Lexi instead of crying.

It went on like that for a while, until one day in late April, Amanda came home to find an envelope from Boston College on the kitchen counter. She picked it up, and immediately noticed it was bigger than the others she had previously received. Many, many thoughts flashed through her mind, the least of which was, "Damn, this is a big rejection notice." She finally decided to run to her room and call someone with the news.

* * *

"Hello?"

"Jill, it's Amanda. I have some really big news!"

"You're pregnant."

"No."

"You and Peter went to Vegas and you're calling from an Elvis chapel."

Amanda laughed. Jill always came up with weird guesses whenever someone told her they had big news. "No, I'm not in Vegas at an Elvis chapel."

"You ran home to Wisconsin with Connor, leaving broken hearts behind."

"Jill, attempt to be serious."

"OK then." There was a pause, and then Jill said, "I give up. Tell me."

"I got an envelope from Boston College today, and it's a big one."

"Ooh! That IS big news! Way better than running off to Vegas."

"I just had to tell somebody! My dad's not home yet, Peter and Jordan are at work, as are Lexi and Becka; and Lucy and Connor are god knows where with the rest of us! And I knew you would be at home, so I called you!"

"You made the right decision Amanda. Well, call me back when you open it. I gotta know!"

"Thanks!"

Amanda hung up her phone and sat quietly. Then she got up and screamed "YES!" a few times before settling down to wait for her dad to come home.

* * *

Woody closed the door to the apartment behind him. As soon as the door clicked, he heard the sound of feet running at a high speed. He turned to look in the direction of the kitchen, and sure enough, in slid a breathless, shoeless Amanda.

"What's got you all excited?" Woody asked with a grin as he walked to the kitchen island that doubled as a barrier between the kitchen and the living room.

"This," Amanda said, holding up the envelope. "It came today."

"Did you open it yet?" Woody asked, now as excited as his daughter.

"Not yet," Amanda said. "Was waiting till you got here."

"Well open it!" Woody shouted excitedly. "I'm here now!"

Amanda ripped open the envelope and pulled out the first thing she felt: a letter. She looked at the letter, and her eyes widened as she read it.

"Well?" Woody asked. "What does it say?"

Amanda looked from the letter, to her father, then back to the letter. Then she screamed joyously: "I GOT IN!!!!!" She ran around the island to show her father the letter.

Woody took the letter out of Amanda's hands and read it. Sure enough, it said that she had been accepted for the fall semester at Boston College. He put the letter down on the island counter and hugged Amanda. "Congratulations! We have to celebrate."

"What are we gonna do?" Amanda asked.

"You want to tell everyone else, don't you?" Woody asked with a twinkle in his eye.

Amanda knew instantly what her father was thinking. "I'll go get changed," she said before running back to her room.

* * *

"So, what's the big news?" Lily asked Amanda. They were all assembled at the Pogue, waiting to hear Amanda's news. Amanda had called Peter on his cell phone at the morgue, and asked him to spread the word to the others, and it had worked.

"Well, a few of you know that I've been waiting on answers from some colleges I applied to, especially Boston College."

"Your first choice, if I'm not mistaken," Devon said.

"You are not mistaken," Amanda said. "Anyways, I got an envelope from them today, and..."

"AND?!?!?!?" everyone but Amanda and Woody shouted.

Amanda grinned slowly and said, "I got in."

Cheers erupted from the group at the bar, all for Amanda. There were congratulations and hugs all around, and she even got a quick kiss from Peter. Jordan started up the new sound system, which immediately played the theme from the movie "St. Elmo's Fire," one of Amanda's favorite songs. "Drinks all around!" Woody shouted. "I'm buying!" While the others were crowding around the bar to get in drink orders, Amanda snuck outside the bar, closely followed by Peter.

* * *

"I did it! I can't believe it!" Amanda screamed into the night. She turned around to face Peter and ran to him. He caught her in his arms and kissed her, a more passionate kiss than the one he had given her inside. Amanda broke away first and said, "Whoa. Where'd that come from?"

"I don't know," Peter said. "It just felt right. Which reminds me, I've been meaning to ask you something. Well, ask you one thing and tell you the other."

"Ask and tell away."

"OK, first, the question. Are we counting the 3 months that we spent talking on the phone every day as dating? Or are they just kinda there?"

Amanda thought about that for a moment, and then finally said "I think they can count."

"OK, then, they count. So we've officially been together 4 months."

"As of right now." Amanda said with a grin. "So, what was that other thing you wanted to tell me?"

"This is pretty important," Peter said slowly "I've been waiting to say this for a while, but I wasn't sure how you'd react. So, I'm just gonna take a huge leap of faith here, and hope to God that you won't laugh."

"I promise you, I won't laugh," Amanda said.

"OK then," Peter said. He noticed that it had started to rain, and that they were going to get wet, but he figured it was now or never. He took a deep breath in and said, "Amanda, I love you."

Amanda looked at Peter in shock for a moment, as if she couldn't believe what she had heard. Slowly then, she took a leap of her own, and kissed him the way he had kissed her moments earlier.

When she pulled away, Peter asked, "Should I take that to mean you love me too?" Amanda smiled and nodded, then rested her head on his shoulder. They stood like that for a while, and then Devon came out of the doors and said, "You guys might want to get in here. Woody says he has an announcement of his own to make."

As Amanda and Peter walked hand-in-hand into the club, Amanda thought, "Looks like Dad's gonna take his own leap of faith tonight."


	11. An Even Bigger Leap Of Faith

Disclaimer: {See previous 10 chapters.}"Say You Will" is owned by Fleetwood Mac.

A/N: Well, I started work on this chapter, then I couldn't decide how to do the second part of it; and then it hit me: when all else fails, put in a song! So, that's what I did. Thanks to Mrs. Rhett Butler for reviewing. And to everyone else who is reading this, PLEASE REVIEW! I appreciate any kind of feedback, good or bad.

(Side not to Mrs. Rhett Butler: Yes, yes he is! When I started typing this, I was watching a rerun of "Crossing Jordan". God bless A&E! Yay about the story! Good luck! I have a feeling it'll be just as good as the others. Your readers will patiently await your return.)

Chapter Eleven: An Even Bigger Leap Of Faith

"Is everyone here?" Woody asked, just as Amanda and Peter rejoined the group, attempting to have their absence go unnoticed. It didn't. Many sly grins were thrown their way as they made their way to the bar, and they stood there together, waiting for the announcement.

"OK, good. You two decided to rejoin us," Woody said sarcastically.

"As if I had a choice," Amanda said, equaling her father's sarcasm.

"Anyways," Woody continued, shooting his daughter "the look" as he did, "I have a very important announcement to make. But first, I need Jordan over here." Jordan grinned and walked over to Woody. "What do you have to say that's so important that I'm needed, Farm Boy?" she said with a grin.

Woody took both of Jordan's hands in his and said, "Jordan, this has been quite the bumpy ride for the two of us. First we hated each other, then we tolerated each other, and then came the desert incident and L.A. and everything in between then and now. All that time, you had a wall up, trying to protect yourself from falling in love with me. But finally, the wall came down, you let yourself love me, and everything's working out for us. Which is why I'm going to take what is probably the biggest leap of faith I've ever taken in my life, and ask you something I've wanted to ask you for a while now." Woody paused long enough to drop down to one knee. "Jordan Cavanaugh, will you marry me?"

Jordan's eyes filled with tears, and she nodded and said, "Yes, I'll marry you." Woody smiled and got to his feet. "Then I guess you can have this now," he said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box, which he opened, revealing a beautiful diamond solitaire ring. Jordan started to cry as he put the ring on her left hand, and she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.

"EWWWWWWW!" Amanda said with a grin. "Now I'm gonna need therapy..." But she walked over to the couple and said, "Congrats you two. Seriously, I'm really happy for you both. I'm just..."

"Being a teenager," Jordan and Woody said together. Amanda gave a slight nod, and was soon being hugged by her father and soon-to-be stepmother. The entire group converged on them at that moment, and the celebrating began.

* * *

"OK, OK, everyone!" Amanda shouted over the ruckus. She was sitting in the newly added tech booth with her laptop, playing the music that filled the bar. "I have an idea!" 

"Oh great!" Woody shouted with a laugh.

"Hey!" Amanda said, pretending to be offended. "Not funny Dad! Anyways, since I've been back here screwing with the music setup this entire time and fielding peoples' requests, I'M gonna pick a song." When she heard the collective groans of the group, she added, "Don't worry, it won't be cheesy '80s music, I swear!"

Amanda turned her chair back to the computer as the group laughed, and went through her song list, scrolling for a couple of minutes before she thought, "I'VE GOT IT!!!!!" She poised the mouse pointer over the song, and said, "OK, I've got one! I feel this song is perfect for Dad and Jordan, so this is the one I'm going to play. Any complaints, too bad!" She double-clicked on the song, and the music of Fleetwood Mac filled the Pogue.

_Somethin' in you brought out somethin' in me, that I've never been since  
That part of me that was only for you,  
That kind of romance  
Comes only once, that kind of love  
That kind of fever dance  
That you love because you become someone else in an instant_

Amanda watched as Woody led Jordan out onto the dance floor, followed by Bug and Lily, Nigel and Devon; and even Dr. Macy and his girlfriend, District Attorney Walcott. She suddenly noticed that Peter wasn't at the bar, and jumped when he tapped her on the shoulder.

"So, is this a good time for a dance?" he asked with a grin, holding out his hand to her. Amanda smiled and took it.

_Say you will, say you will give me one more chance  
At least give me time to change your mind  
That always seems to heal the wounds, if I can  
Get you to dance_

Peter led Amanda out onto the dance floor, among the other couples. As he put his arms around her, Amanda smiled. They laughed and danced along with the others, and Amanda made a split second decision. She looked Peter directly in the eyes and said, "I love you too."

_Somethin' in you put a hold on my heart  
It's hard to believe now  
Here in the place that will never be dark  
I remember that place...  
That kind of touch, electricity of love  
That certain kind of grace  
That you love because you become someone else in an instant_

Woody and Jordan looked around at the people they loved, all dancing to the music that Amanda had picked. "Looks like Amanda knows music better than she lets on," Jordan said. "She really knows how to pick a song that describes people perfectly."

"Who knew?" Woody said, proceeding to spin Jordan.

_Say you will, say you will give me one more chance  
At least give me time to change your mind  
That always seems to heal the wounds, if I can  
Get you to dance  
Say you will, say you will give me one more chance (say you will)  
At least give me time to change your mind (say you will)  
That always seems to heal the wounds, if I can  
Get you to dance _

Peter smiled at Amanda. "You know something?" he said. "I had a feeling I'd get more of an answer out of you tonight than just that kiss." Amanda laughed put her head on his shoulder, saying, "What kind of a girl do you think I am Peter?"

"The girl I love," he said. Amanda looked up at him, and they kissed.

They weren't the only two. A bit farther out on the dance floor, Woody and Jordan were doing the exact same thing. When they broke apart, Jordan thought, "Thank God for leaps of faith like this one."


	12. Dual Confessions

Disclaimer: See previous chapter.

A/N: Watched the episode "Sunset Division" on A&E last night. Boy, was that a funny episode. Can't believe that blonde lady didn't know who Barbar the elephant was! Anyways, I've decided the wedding will be in either the 14th or 15th chapter. So you'll have to wait for it! But I'm sure you all can wait for it...can't you? Thanks to Mrs. Rhett Butler for reviewing.

(Side note to Mrs. Rhett Butler: Hootie hoo indeed! Glad you enjoyed it. This chapter is a bit darker than the other ones, but don't worry, we'll be back to the cuteness soon.)

Chapter Twelve: Dual Confessions

"Wow," Amanda said. "You've got a great view of the city from here."

She was standing on the balcony of Peter's apartment, looking at the Boston skyline. She had always been afraid of heights, but for the first time, she wasn't scared. Maybe it was because she had finally outgrown her fears, or maybe it was because Peter was standing right behind her, with his arms around her waist, holding her close to him. She figured it was the second one.

They had come to his apartment to watch movies, and had ended up standing together on the balcony after the movies were done, just to watch the stars. It made Amanda think of how, that day, Jordan had shown her, Lily, and Devon the bridesmaids' dresses; only 3 weeks after the proposal, she already had them picked out. They were beautiful: short, slightly puffed sleeves, with swaths of material hanging down like curtains. "Beauty and the Beast dresses," Amanda had said, remembering Belle's ball gown from the movie. "_Short Sleeves_," she thought sadly.Amanda looked up at the sky, waiting for a sign, a sign that it was all right to tell Peter her deepest secret, a sign that he would understand. Unbeknownst to her, Peter was thinking the same thing. Suddenly, a shooting star flashed in the sky. The pair closed their eyes and made the same wish: "Please, give me the strength to tell what I need to tell."

Amanda opened her eyes and sighed sadly. She knew the truth would come out sooner or later, and she figured she needed to tell Peter before he heard it from one of her friends. She removed his hands from her waist, walked over to the couch, and sat down. She needed to figure out her words, how she was going to tell him, figuring that when the wedding came and she was wearing that dress, they would be able to see, and then there would be questions.

Peter walked over to the couch and sat down next to her. "Amanda," he said quietly, "Are you all right?" She didn't speak, but shook her head. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"I figured you would find out the day of the wedding," Amanda said. "Seeing as how the dress has short sleeves, you all would see, and then there'd be questions."

"What do you mean?" Peter asked, now rather confused. "See what?"

"These," Amanda said quietly. She took off the jacket that covered her tank top, revealing her shoulders. Peter stared in shock, realizing what Amanda had been talking about. _There were razor scars on her shoulders_. Amanda hung her head, ashamed of the scars that were now out in the open, where anyone could see them.

"Why?" he asked her, after a few moments of silence.

"I was 16 years old. I-there were things going on at home, and I-I couldn't deal with them."

"What was happening?" Peter asked. He noticed that Amanda looked unsure, doubting whether she should continue speaking. "Please, tell me," he said softly.

* * *

"It was the end of February, the 28th. My mom got a call from her parents. They said that my great-grandmother-who I was very, very close to and loved dearly-had been sick, and slipped into a coma. I should've expected something like that to happen. I mean, she was 95 years old; she was bound to get sick like that sometime. But I still wasn't prepared for it to actually **happen**.

Well, a week later; March 7th, 2002, I remember it so clearly; I had just finished dinner, and I was walking to my room, when I happened to look into my mom's room. She was sitting on her bed, rocking my little sister Jessica back and forth in her arms. Jessie was crying, and I walked in and asked what was wrong. My mom looked up at me, and told me that my great-grandmother had passed away.

Everything started to go in slow motion then, it seemed. My mom reached out to me, trying to get me to sit down, so she could comfort me. I backed out of the room, went into my room, closed the door, then slid to the floor in front of it and began to cry. I was hysterical, pounding the back of my head against the door; which, at the time, I hadn't realized I had been doing-my mom told me later that I was; and screaming, 'Why?' at the top of my lungs. I hadn't expected her to get any better, but I hadn't expected her to die either.

What happened next, it happened so fast. I opened my door, stormed into the kitchen, grabbed my keychain-which not only had my car keys on it, but my house keys as well-and ran out the front door, without a coat or sweater; just the T-shirt and jeans I had been wearing that day. I went to my car, opened the door, climbed in, and drove. And I drove. And I drove. I don't know how long I drove for, but I must have been driving in a circle, because I was back at my house in no time. I went in, and went straight to my room.

The funeral was that Monday, the 11th, and my friends had shown up, of course. But it didn't help. I didn't go to the funeral. I had gone to the viewing the day before, and barely made it through, even with my friends and my oldest cousins there. My cousins-only 1 ½ years and 2 ½ weeks older than me, respectively-had left Sunday night, and I decided that I couldn't go through it alone. I stayed at my uncle's house and watched my youngest cousins instead, as did Jessie.

After that, I seemed to be fine. Then, exactly 4 months later, tragedy struck again. I had woken up early that morning to talk to my friends online for a bit, because I was leaving for a week at church camp that day. I was pretty excited, because my oldest cousin Jake was going to be there too, and he's like a brother to me. It was about 7:00 AM when I decided to go upstairs and see if my mom and step-father were awake. When I got to their room, my step-father was answering the phone. He listened for a moment, and then passed the phone to my mother. Mom talked for a second, then said 'Oh no, when?'

I knew something bad had happened, so I stood there. Charlie-my step-father-was looking at me funny, and I said 'I'm not leaving till I find out what happened.' That's when he told me: 'Your Uncle Andrew passed away,' he said. I ran back downstairs and cried. But mostly, I waited; waited to find out whether I would still be going to camp. I came upstairs again about an hour later. Jessie was awake and sitting on the couch, drying her eyes. The verdict was in: I was going, because Aunt Mina-Uncle Andrew's wife-said that he would've wanted me to go.

We drove up to the camp, and met my cousin, my grandfather, and his other brother-my Uncle Frank-in the parking lot. Jake and I talked about what had happened, and Jake said he felt guilty, because he slept through the entire commotion.

The week passed, and it was going pretty well, except for one time when I broke down crying at night. The girls in my cabin were really caring, and two of them-Josie and Shelly-stayed with me while the others hunted for our counselor. That taken care of, the rest of the week was fine. Then, one day; Thursday, the 11th, on our way to morning prayers, I saw Jake walking away from the church and to a waiting car. I wondered where he was going, and I later found out he had gone to the funeral. I was upset. No, I was pissed off. The excuse given by Jake-when I asked him about it the night before I left; I was only staying a week, he for two-was that I was only going to be there a week and the family didn't want me to miss it.

When I got home, I was beyond furious with my mother's side of the family, especially Jake; in fact, I didn't speak to him again until Thanksgiving; even though I knew it wasn't his fault. One night, I got so mad about all that had happened that I punched my mirror. It smashed immediately, and my hand began to bleed. It hurt at first, but then I realized something: **_it felt good_**. I picked up the pieces of the mirror, and put them in a drawer for later. That night, while everyone was sleeping, I took a piece of the mirror out of the drawer, and I cut my shoulder. I felt relief. I cleaned it up, and then went to bed.

* * *

"This went on for about a week, until one day, my mom caught me. She made me go to therapy, and I haven't done it in two years." As Amanda finished, she watched Peter's face to see his reaction. It went from one of shock, to one of pity, finally stopping at one of sadness. He put his arms around Amanda, pulling her to him, saying, "It took a lot to tell me, you know."

Amanda was surprised at his reaction. "Why aren't you telling me to leave? Even my best friends didn't want to be around me the first time I told them, partially because I told them months after it happened, I guess," she said.

"Because I know what it's like to self-destruct," Peter said.

* * *

"When I started medical school, I was as optimistic as possible. But slowly, the constant pressure got to me. I started doing drugs, painkillers mostly, until I was hooked. Then I met Allison Daniels, someone just as messed up as I was at the time, maybe even more so. We did everything together, including the drugs. We were crazy; I mean, we even got married by a 97-year-old Rastafarian priest as a **dare**. I had hit rock bottom. And then I decided something: I was getting out of it.

So one day, I walked out on Allison, after trying my damndest to get her to come with me. I went to an NA meeting, and I started the process of getting off of the drugs. There were days that were harder than others, but the hardest thing was knowing that Allison wouldn't come with me. I got the job at the morgue by pure graciousness on the part of Dr. Macy; he hired me when no one else would. Then one day, shortly after I started work at the morgue, I got a call from Lily to come and ID a body. I walked into the autopsy room, and there was Allison, lying on the slab.

After that, I went back to the doctor that had been giving Allison and I the drugs, and I told him that she was dead. He told me he knew it was going to be hard, and he gave me a syringe and a bottle of liquid painkillers. That night, I went back to the morgue and into the crypt. I went there to see Allison, and that night was the night I slipped. I took the syringe and the bottle out of my pocket, rolled up my sleeve, and stuck myself, injecting the drugs.

Later, Dr. Macy found me working on Allison's case, and he accused me of being high. I was pissed at him for being right, so I told him-in no uncertain terms-that it was none of his damned business if I was or not, and I quit. I went to a bar, and Dr. Macy found me there. I was on my 3rd beer, and I was trying to forget everything. He called me on it again, and I walked out of the bar, even more pissed off than before.

A few days later, I went back again to that doctor, telling him that I was 'going out of the country for a few months to clear my head,' and he willingly gave me the drugs. Then he asked me if I wanted 'one for the road'. I held out my arm, and when he rolled up my sleeve, he found a police wiretap taped to my arm. He got arrested that night, and I also got my job back, only because Dr. Macy 'never accepted my resignation,' as he put it. That's the only time in the 2 ½ years I've been clean that I've slipped."

* * *

Amanda shifted to her side, so she could lean in closer to Peter. She rested her head on his shoulder, and said, "What happened after that?"

"Well, everything went well after that, except for my love life. Then one day, I was working in the morgue, and Detective Woody Hoyt came in, saying he had the next of kin for the autopsy I had been working on. He pointed her out to me in the hallway. I explained the procedures to her, and Bug took her in with her friends-only there for moral support-to make the ID. After she had made the ID, she was incredibly upset, so they sent me in to talk to her. She left that day with my phone number in her pocket, and for 3 months, we talked constantly; until one day, a month later, I told her that I loved her."

Amanda smiled. She knew who Peter was talking about. "And where is she now?" she asked with a grin.

"She's sitting on my couch, leaning her head against my shoulder, and telling me her deepest, darkest secret; and listening to me tell her mine," he replied. The two of them then sat in silence for what seemed like ages to the both of them.

"So," Amanda said, "what happens now? I mean, there's no secrets now, so what do we do?"

"I guess we make a promise to each other," Peter said. "I guess we promise each other that we won't keep secrets, or try not to, at least."

"Sounds like a plan to me," said Amanda. "I promise you, Peter, that I won't keep any secrets from you."

"I promise that I'll never keep any secrets from you, Amanda," he replied.

With the secrets in the open, and the promises made, the two of them got up off of the couch, and returned to their places on the balcony; silently thanking God for giving them strength, and each other.


	13. Same Song, New Tune

Disclaimer: See previous chapter. The song "There Must Be An Angel," and the lyrics to it, both belong to Annie Lennox. The song "Waterfalls," and the lyrics to it, both belong to TLC.

A/N: I would like to thank my readers for not flaming the last chapter. It was my first attempt at writing anything with a character that cuts/used to cut, and I tried to do it in a tasteful manner so as not to offend anybody. OK, back to the story. Some more song lyrics in here, but someone is actually singing it this time. In other words, this is a happier chapter than the previous one. Thanks to Mrs. Rhett Butler, Jenna Nelson, and canadianfan1984 for reviewing.

A/N 2: Oh, also, Amanda kinda lets the "F" word drop in this chapter. This might be the only occurrence of it, unless I end up writing her as the type of person who drops it when she gets REALLY REALLY mad.

(Side note to Mrs. Rhett Butler: Eep. Sorry about that. I really am. I don't like scaring people, unless it's Halloween and they had it coming...Anyways, if it makes you feel any better, this chapter talks about happy things. I am warning you, though; the stuff in Chapter Twelve will come up again in a later chapter. Just letting you know in advance.)

(Side note to Jenna Nelson: Um, oops? Well, I don't think I've seen that episode; so, as the saying goes, "If you didn't see it, it doesn't exist." Actually, I think that in real life, Jerry O'Connell is about old enough to have an 18 year old, so it still kinda works! {Laughs} Just out of curiosity, which episode was it? Glad you like the story, and I hope you keep reading and reviewing.)

(Side note to canadianfan1984: Coolness! Glad you like! Hopefully, you'll keep reading and reviewing the story; unless it starts to annoy you, in which case, I suggest you run as far away from it as you possibly can. {Laughs} Thanks for the review. :D)

Chapter Thirteen: Same Song, New Tune

"AMANDA!!!! AMANDA, WHERE ARE YOU???"

Amanda looked up from the table she was cleaning to see Lexi, Lucy, Becka, and Lisa coming towards her at full speed. It was Wednesday night, and she was at the Pogue, except she was waitressing/bussing tables instead of hanging around with everyone. She groaned as she heard them scream, and looked over at the bar, where Jordan was bartending. Jordan looked at the group of energetic teenagers and nodded to Amanda, as if to say "Go ahead, I don't mind." Amanda gave her soon-to-be-stepmom a look of gratitude, and stopped to see what her friends wanted.

"I'm right here you guys!" Amanda said with a laugh. "What's up, besides your caffeine levels, which are obviously off the chart..."

"Ha ha ha," said Becka sarcastically. "How amusing."

"Better watch out Becka," Lisa said with a grin. "Get any more sarcastic, and you'll end up like your sister!"

"Speaking of Jill," Amanda said, looking for her other friend. "Where is she? Usually when we do a mob-run like this, she's in on it."

"Her, Connor, and Lucas are at the Sunset right now," Lucy said. "Now show her the damned thing Lexi, before we get too old!"

Lexi held a paper out to Amanda, who gingerly took it. It was a flyer, a flyer for a singing contest; "Bring your band-or just yourself-and show the audience what you're made of!" Amanda read. "Oh my god you guys, this could be our chance! We could finally stop bartending and actually perform at the Sunset!"

"I'll convince the boss to be there," Lucy said. "Seeing as how I'm engaged to her son, it shouldn't be too hard." She looked at her twin expectantly, as if there was something else she needed to say. Lexi passed the look to Becka, who passed it to Lisa, who passed it back to Lucy.

"Um, guys?" Amanda asked carefully. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

The four girls looked at each other again, took deep breaths, and said "We want you to sing instead of the entire band," at the exact same time.

"Huh?" Amanda said, not quite getting it. "Why me? I thought the band would be..."

"We will be," Lisa said. "We decided-as a group-that YOU should be the one singing. I mean, all those times back home, at the Seesaw, when we used to sing and show off our dance class routines on the bar..." She was cut off by Amanda's hand suddenly covering her mouth.

"Man, I told you, don't repeat that here!" Amanda said, now a bit annoyed. "What if my dad heard you? I still haven't told him about that!"

"It's not like we were REALLY table dancing or doing anything illegal," Lexi muttered before being elbowed by her twin.

"ANYWAYS," Lisa said, removing Amanda's hand from her mouth and continuing. "The point is, you were the best, and we think you should be the one singing instead of us."

"So, will you do it?" the other three asked in unison.

Amanda sighed, then threw up her hands and shouted "I CAVE!!!!!!" The four girls laughed and clapped their hands.

"Now, what will I be singing?" Amanda asked when the laughter had died down.

"Well, we were thinking of this," Lucy said, handing a paper with some song lyrics on it. Amanda looked at the lyric sheet and winced. It was a song her mother had always loved, "There Must Be An Angel."

"I'm not sure I can do this," Amanda said. "I mean, I WANT to, but..."

"Well, we do have another song picked out, because we figured you'd want to do the two song maximum," Lexi said, grinning evilly. "But the alternate song if you don't wanna do the Annie Lennox song is BARNEY!!!!!!"

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Amanda said; then, realizing what she had just said, she slapped her hand over her mouth quickly with a look of surprise on her face.

"AMANDA SAID THE F WORD! AMANDA SAID THE F WORD!" Lisa and Becka sang together as Lexi laughed at her friend's slip of the tongue.

"It was an accident!" Amanda said. "I didn't mean to!"

"OK, OK!" Lucy shouted. "Can we get back on track here?"

"Sorry," Lisa and Becka said together. "We couldn't resist!"

"Anyways," Lucy said, glaring at Lisa, Becka, and her sister, who were still giggling. "Amanda, I haven't asked you for anything in a long time, but I'm gonna ask you now: please sing that song."

"Besides," Lexi said, trying hard to keep a straight face. "You know what the song's about, so why don't you just think of it like you're singing to Peter?" Her attempt at seriousness was met by four resounding thwaps to the back of her head. "OW! I was kidding..."

"OK, I'll do it. But just out of curiosity, what's the other song?"

"Waterfalls, by TLC," Lucy answered. "We're doing it the old way, me, then Lexi, then you. Lisa and Becka decided to sit this one out, as did Jill."

"Yeah," Lisa said with a laugh. "We wanted you guys to have a chance to embarrass yourselves properly." Moments later, she met the same fate as Lexi had moments before.

"So, when is this thing?" Amanda asked.

"Can you get Friday night off?" Lucy asked.

* * *

"So it's this Friday," Amanda said. It was the next day, and she was walking down the hallway of the police precinct with her father. "You think you'll be able to make it?"

Woody paused and thought for a moment. "I'll be able to make it."

"Great!" Amanda said, giving her father a hug. "I can't wait! I'm so excited."

"I'm really happy for you," her father said. "I assume Peter and the morgue crew are going to be there?"

"Yes," Amanda said. "It pays to have a couple of insiders at the morgue. Jordan said she talked to Nigel, and Peter talked to Bug and Lily. Dr. Macy can't make it, him and the DA from Hell are doing something that night."

"You really have been talking to Jordan, haven't you?" Woody said. "You sound like she does when she talks about Walcott."

"I stand on the 5th Amendment," Amanda said with a grin. "I've gotta get going. Lucy's picking me up outside for practice. We already know the songs, but we need a refresher. See you later." She hugged her father goodbye and walked out the door of the precinct to Lucy's waiting car.

* * *

"Urgh!!!!!" Amanda screamed. "Why can't I get this friggin' song right??"

The group-including the boys-was in Lucy and Lexi's basement, some practicing, the others watching the practice, and Amanda was having a little bit of trouble getting the Annie Lennox song right.

"Calm down Sparky!" said Connor Morgan, Lucy's fiancée. "You'll get it eventually."

"Don't call me Sparky, damn it!" Amanda said with a small grin. "One small incident with a generator thing in Science and you're branded for life," she thought.

"OK, just redo the last verse, and we'll call it a day," Jill said. "You three have already got the TLC song down, so all we need is for Amanda to get this last verse."

Amanda calmed down, shooting a dirty look at Connor, Lucas Johannsen, and Lucas's brother Mike, who were all still laughing at the "Sparky" comment. "If looks could kill..." she muttered quietly, but still loud enough for the boys to hear. She tried the song again, and this time, she got it.

* * *

"Ready Amanda?" Lucy asked. It was Friday night, and they were backstage at the Jade Room, the club where the contest was being held. The other bands had already been up, and the last band was just finishing their song, meaning Amanda and the girls were next.

"I think I've gone numb again," Amanda said. She was beyond nervous, and was debating whether making a run for the door would be a good idea, when she felt a pair of arms go around her waist.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," Peter said.

"I feel like I've seen a ghost," Amanda replied as she turned to face him. "So, what're you doing back here?"

"Just came back to tell you all 'break a leg,' from those of us in the audience," he said with a grin. "You guys'll be great. Don't worry."

"Thanks," the girls all said. Peter kissed Amanda quickly, and said "I've gotta get back. If I don't, your dad'll think I dragged you off into a broom closet or something."

"OK," Amanda said, kissing him back. She watched as he went back to his seat in the audience, and suddenly she didn't feel nervous anymore.

* * *

"Ladies and Gentlemen," said the announcer. "Our last group tonight is a band based here in Boston that got its start in a small town in Wisconsin. I am pleased to introduce: The Girls in the Band!"

Amanda, Lexi, and Lucy emerged from behind the curtain; all three of them dressed in white dresses, with their hair in various updos, all containing a flower on one side. Behind them, Jill, Becka, and Lisa slid into place behind their instruments.

Amanda stepped up to the microphone nervously and said, "Well, you all are probably wondering where we got our name, so we might as well tell you, seeing as how every other band up here did it." This got a laugh from the audience, which made Amanda loosen up a bit.

"I guess you're expecting me to tell you, seeing as how I'm kinda babbling into the mic right now...Anyways, this is how it happened: When my partners-in-crime and I were about 14, our friends Connor, Lucas, Mike, and Xander had a band, and we wanted to join it. Well, we talked to the boys, and let's just say they weren't all that receptive to the idea. Xander's exact words, I believe, were 'Why the hell would we let the girls in the band?' So shortly after that-and after we got off the two weeks grounding we earned for throwing the guys into the local pond for it-we formed our own band, and we remembered what Xander had said, and as suddenly as Lucy gave Connor that first shove into the pond, we had our name." The audience had laughed slightly at the opening comment, but hearing about the pond incident earned the girls a roar of laughter.

"Yeah, the boys didn't think it was too funny..." Amanda said with a grin, earning another wave of laughter. "Anyways, since this is a singing contest-and since my fellow bandmates are giving me death glares strong enough to kill an elephant-we're gonna start now." After the fresh wave of laughter subsided, Amanda stepped back from the front mic, and Lucy stepped up, saying, "Since the rules said we could do covers of other songs, we've decided to do two songs that earned us acclaim and applause back home in Wisconsin. Our first song is 'Waterfalls,' originally sung by TLC." The lights dimmed, and the music started, and Lucy began to sing.

Lucy_: A lonely mother gazing out of her window  
Staring at a son that she just can't touch  
If at any time he's in a jam  
She'll be by his side  
But he doesn't realize he hurts her so much  
But all the praying just ain't helping  
At all 'cause he can't seem to keep  
His self out of trouble  
So he goes out and he makes his money  
The best way he knows how  
Another body laying cold in the gutter  
Listen to me_

Girls_: Don't go chasing waterfalls  
Please stick to the rivers and lakes that  
You're used to  
I know that you're gonna have it your way  
Or nothing at all  
But I think you're moving too fast_

After the first chorus, Lucy stepped back from the front mic, and Lexi took her place.

Lexi_: Little precious has a natural obsession  
For temptation but he just can't see  
She gives him loving that his body can't handle  
But all he can say is baby it's good to me  
One day he goes and takes a glimpse  
In the mirror  
But he doesn't recognize his own face  
His health is fading and he doesn't know why  
3 letters took him to his final resting place  
Y'all don't hear me_

Girls_: Don't go chasing waterfalls  
Please stick to the rivers and lakes that  
You're used to  
I know that you're gonna have it your way  
Or nothing at all  
But I think you're moving too fast_

Lexi finished her verse, and returned to her place behind her mic, leaving the front mic open. Amanda stepped up, and began to sing.

Amanda: _I seen a rainbow yesterday  
But too many storms have come and gone  
Leavin' a trace of not one God-given ray  
Is it because my life is ten shades of gray  
I pray all ten fade away  
Seldom praise Him for the sunny days  
And like His promise is true  
Only my faith can undo  
The many chances I blew  
To bring my life to anew  
Clear blue and unconditional skies  
Have dried the tears from my eyes  
No more lonely cries  
My only bleedin' hope  
Is for the folk who can't cope  
Wit such an endurin' pain  
That it keeps 'em in the pourin' rain  
Who's to blame  
For tootin' caine in your own vein  
What a shame  
You shoot and aim for someone else's brain  
You claim the insane  
And name this day in time  
For fallin' prey to crime  
I say the system got you victim to your own mind  
Dreams are hopeless aspirations  
In hopes of comin' true  
Believe in yourself  
The rest is up to me and you_

Girls_: Don't go chasing waterfalls  
Please stick to the rivers and lakes that  
You're used to  
I know that you're gonna have it your way  
Or nothing at all  
But I think you're moving too fast_

_Don't go chasing waterfalls  
Please stick to the rivers and lakes that  
You're used to  
I know that you're gonna have it your way  
Or nothing at all  
But I think you're moving too fast_

The girls finished the song, and the audience-including Peter, Jordan, Woody, and the others that had shown up in support of the band-roared with applause. The girls grinned at each other, then pushed Amanda to the front mic and went back to get their own instruments.

* * *

"This next song is one that my mother always used to sing around the house." Amanda said. She paused a moment to take the hair pins out of her hair and shake it out, letting her semi-curly hair go free. "It also happens to be a favorite of mine. This is 'There Must Be An Angel,' originally sung by Annie Lennox." The girls began to play to music, and Amanda took a deep breath and began the song.

Amanda: _No-one on earth could feel like this.  
I'm thrown and overblown with bliss.  
There must be an angel_  
_Playing with my heart.  
I walk into an empty room  
And suddenly my heart goes "boom"!  
It's an orchestra of angels  
And they're playing with my heart._

_(Must be talking to an angel)_

_(Must be talking to an angel)_

_(Must be talking to an angel)  
_  
_No-one on earth could feel like this.  
I'm thrown and overblown with bliss.  
There must be an angel  
Playing with my heart.  
And when I think that I'm alone  
It seems there's more of us at home.  
It's a multitude of angels  
And they're playing with my heart._

_(Must be talking to an angel)_

_(Must be talking to an angel)_

_(Must be talking to an angel)_

As the girls playing the music reached the bridge, Amanda looked out into the audience, especially at the group of seats reserved for the family members and friends of their band. Everyone was smiling, and her father had a look of incredible pride on his face. Amanda smiled her biggest and best smile at the group of seats before continuing.

Amanda: _I must be hallucinating  
Watching angels celebrating.  
Could this be reactivating  
All my senses dislocating?_  
_This must be a strange deception  
By celestial intervention.  
Leavin' me the recollection  
Of your heavenly connection._

_I walk into an empty room  
And suddenly my heart goes "boom"!  
It's an orchestra of angels  
And they're playing with my heart._

_(Must be talking to an angel)_

_(Must be talking to an angel)_

_(Must be talking to an angel)_

As Amanda finished the song, the crowd began to rise to its feet and applaud thunderously. Amanda turned to her fellow bandmates and smiled. It looked like the girls in the band had finally gotten the recognition they wanted.

* * *

"I can't believe we won!" Amanda said as she exited the elevator and ran down the hallway of the morgue. The bodies had all been put in the crypt for the night, and since Dr. Macy was away with DA Walcott, Jordan said they could have an after-party at the morgue, seeing as how "You're too hyper to drive to the Sunset, and I don't feel like opening the Pogue again tonight!"

She stopped in the middle of the hallway, and turned to face her friends, who had been running behind her, whooping it up right along with her. Nigel made a face as he got out of the elevator with Peter and said, "Sweet Nancy, they're loud. Remind me again how we ended up in the elevator with the hyper teenagers?"

Peter laughed and said, "Don't ask me."

"At least Jordan and the others will be up here to supervise them...no, wait, forget that. There's no way Jordan would supervise without something happening."

"Now why would you think that?" Jordan said as she, Woody, Bug, and Lily exited the elevator next to the one the others had come out of, holding the food and soda.

"Speaking from experience, love," Nigel said with a grin, as the adults walked down the hallway to the conference room, following after the "hyper teenagers" who were leading the way.

* * *

A/N 3: Sorry that this chapter is so damned long...I had NO idea the song lyrics would take up so much space...


	14. Skip Out The Door

Disclaimer: See previous chapter.

A/N: OK everyone! One more chapter until...THE WEDDING! And some things I need to clarify...Amanda was NOT one month short of her 19th birthday. She was just exaggerating. Her birthday actually happens later, however she is 18 years old (I may be gross at times, but not like that). Also, she is still in high school, but a bit older than everyone else; this chapter and the next all happen before her graduation. The graduation chapter will be chapter 16. Thanks to Mrs. Rhett Butler, canadianfan1984, and Jenna Nelson for reviewing.

(Side note to Mrs. Rhett Butler: Well, I'm glad that it wasn't my fault (not saying it was yours), and thank you for saying I wrote it well. I was worried that I would offend people. Yeah, it was kinda cool that he was proud, wasn't it...I had to have one moment that proved he was proud of his daughter in there, because other than that scene where she got into college, that was never really mentioned. Glad you liked it.)

(Side note to canadianfan1984: {raises her hand} I did! Oh wait, you meant besides me...never mind then. Yes, she is lucky. Wish I could be that lucky. {grumbles because she is only 16 and wouldn't have a chance even AFTER she turned 18} Man, everyone should be that lucky. I never thought my twist on things would be this well received by the public. Let no one tell you that sleeping during Geometry does not produce good ideas. Glad you enjoyed it, and keep reviewing!)

(Side note to Jenna Nelson: Hmmmm...don't believe I've seen that one. Didn't start watching it regularly till this year, and watched it a bit last year, so it must've been the first season. That would explain my cluelessness. Or was that caused by all that Mountain Dew...Thank you for reviewing, and I'm glad you're liking it. Keep on reviewing!)

Chapter Fourteen: Skip Out The Door

"Mrs. Donaldson?" the voice on the PA system said.

"Yes, Mr. Wilson?"

"Could you please send Amanda Hoyt to the office? Her stepmother is here to pick her up for her appointment."

Amanda's friends looked at her in shock. They didn't know about any appointment that day, and frankly, neither did Amanda. Mrs. Donaldson looked at Amanda and told her to pack up her things. On impulse, Amanda asked for the Government homework for that night, and went around to her other teachers to get their homework before she went to the office. She had a feeling she wouldn't be back that day, but she hoped no one had gotten sick-or worse-died.

When she reached the office, Amanda found Jordan sitting in a chair, waiting for her. A crack of her gum made her presence known, and soon she and Jordan were walking to the waiting car.

"So," Amanda said to Jordan. "Is anything wrong?"

"Nope."

"Do I really have an appointment, and just forgot about it?"

"Nope."

"So you just skipped me out of school for the sheer hell of it."

"Yep."

Amanda smiled. "That's the best idea I've heard in a while. How did you manage to do it?"

"I had a little help from the morgue's resident computer wizard," Jordan said as she pulled a piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to Amanda.

Amanda took the paper and read it as they reached the car. "Sudden family emergency, eh? How did you convince Nigel to forge this?"

"Well, it really didn't take much convincing," Jordan said. "And it wasn't technically forgery. My grandmother is having minor surgery today, so technically, there was a family emergency."

"What kind of surgery, if you don't mind me asking?" Amanda asked as they closed the car doors and she buckled her seatbelt.

Jordan buckled her seatbelt and grinned. "She's getting a wart surgically removed from her foot."

The two of them drove away from the school laughing.

* * *

"So," Jordan said as she parked the car at the mall. "Where to first? Anywhere in particular?" She was standing outside the car now, staring at her soon-to-be-stepdaughter, who was still sitting in the car, looking stunned.

"Damn. For the first time in my life, I have no idea," Amanda said as she got out of the car, still in awe that she had been skipped out of school. "Anywhere you wanna go first?"

"How about getting something to eat?" Jordan suggested. "There's an Appleby's on the second floor."

"Sounds good to me." Amanda said. "They have really good chicken wraps. And the sports stuff they have in the eating area isn't half bad either."

"Appleby's it is then," Jordan said, and the two of them walked into the mall, hell-bent on getting some of those chicken wraps.

* * *

"So, you never did tell me how you convinced Nigel to do that note for you," Amanda said. They were sitting in a booth at Appleby's, surrounded by 3 walls of Boston Bruins memorabilia. The waitress had just left with their drink orders, and that left them some time to talk. Amanda figured she'd spend some of it trying to get the bribe done for the note out of it.

"It was easy," Jordan said. "I told him I wanted some time to get to know my future stepdaughter, and he agreed."

"So, you didn't threaten his computer system?" Amanda asked.

"That too, but only if he didn't give me the note," Jordan said with a grin. Amanda had to laugh, because when a person really thought about it, threatening someone's computer system to get what you wanted was pretty damn funny. But she also thought that since Jordan had gone to great lengths to skip her out of school for bonding time, she'd humor her.

"So, what do you want to know first?" Amanda asked.

"Well," Jordan said slowly, trying to think of the right way to phrase her question. "Do you have any problems with me marrying your father?"

Amanda smiled. "Not at all," she said. "I love weddings. The last one I was at, I was only 9 years old and a flower girl."

"Whose wedding?" Jordan asked, curious.

"My older sister's," Amanda said. "I mean, my older stepsister's wedding. She's my stepfather Charlie's youngest daughter from his first marriage."

"You have a stepfather?"

"Yeah. My mom got married when I was 6. She had Jessie when I was 11, and Lori on my 18th birthday. Best damned birthday present I ever got," Amanda said with a smile.

"So, what about the older siblings? How many of them are there?"

"3," Amanda said rather flatly. "Michelle, Melissa, and Justin. Justin's the oldest, then Melissa, then Michelle."

"Do I detect a bit of resentment?"

"Yes you do," Amanda said, "and with good reason, too."

"Would you care if I asked why?"

"Not at all. You see, their mom walked out on them right after Michelle was born, and I mean RIGHT after. Charlie told me that as soon as they came home from the hospital, the mom split. Anyways, when my mom married Charlie, Justin was 25, Melissa was 20, and Michelle was 16. Justin always resented his mom for leaving, but he resented Charlie even more for marrying my mom, seeing as how his new stepmom was 4 years younger than he was. As long as I've known them, he's NEVER been around, I mean NEVER. Never calls Charlie on his birthday, never comes to visit him, never brings the kids around...it just really pisses me off that he takes it out on his dad. Charlie's a great dad to Jessie and Lori, and he was a great dad to me. He doesn't deserve to be treated that way."

"That sucks," Jordan said knowingly. "Similar thing in my family. I found out a few years ago that my brother was actually my half-brother, and it all went downhill from there. So, I guess the next question is, what are the two sibs that you talk to doing now?"

"They live in Pennsylvania," Amanda said. "Some small town named Somerset. Melissa got married when I was 7, and she has two kids; Noah and Tammy. Noah's 11 and Tammy's 10. Michelle got married when I was 9, and she has 4 kids; Chad, who's 10; John, who's 9; and then the twins Jack and Jill, who are 4."

"Jack and Jill?" Jordan said with a grin. "Sounds like a cheesy TV show."

"That's what my mom said when they were born," Amanda said with a laugh. "But Michelle's always been into nursery rhymes, ever since she was little, and that was her favorite, so it was only natural."

"Don't mean to bring up any bad memories, but what about Justin?"

Amanda paused, then said quietly, "He got married right after Mom and Charlie did. He has two kids; Britney, who's 11-same as Noah, and Nick, who's 9-same as John. The last time I saw them was the summer before I started high school. They're great kids, from what I hear. Melissa hears from him more than anyone, so we get all our info from her."

"Where does he live?"

"Last I heard, he was still in Kewaunee. I'll probably hear more about him on Wednesday. Melissa usually calls on Wednesdays."

"Your sisters call to check up on you?" Jordan asked with a smile.

"Yeah," Amanda said happily. "Melissa calls on Wednesdays, and Michelle usually calls on Thursdays, just to see how I'm doing."

"They sound like they're really great sisters."

"They didn't give a damn that I wasn't their real sister. They always treated me like I was their blood sister, and defended me against anyone who made fun of me. I remember one time, Michelle kicked this one guy's ass for calling me 'the Baxter bastard' in front of her and Melissa. I must have been 8 years old, and it was the funniest thing in the world. I mean, the guy was at least as tall as Peter, and he was 23; and there was Michelle, 18 years old and only 5'7, beating the living shit out of him...she did get grounded for two weeks, but that was only for the fighting." Amanda grinned at the memory. It was one of her favorites of Michelle, and the one that stuck out most in her mind whenever she thought of her younger years with her sisters.

"Sounds like it was a good fight, then," Jordan said.

"Mom said it would've killed on Pay-Per-View," Amanda said with a laugh. "She was almost never mad at Michelle, even when she inadvertently taught me to swear."

Jordan laughed. "How did that happen?"

"Michelle was babysitting me, and she was on the phone with one of her friends. This friend just happened to let it slip that Michelle's boyfriend was cheating on her, and Michelle screamed 'that son-of-a-bitch!' at the top of her lungs, and I heard it. Later that night, I asked my mom what it meant. The looks on hers and Charlie's faces were priceless." Amanda looked a bit wistful when she remembered that, and Jordan noticed it immediately. There was a long pause as the waitress brought their food and drinks, and an even longer pause while they ate for a bit.

"Still hurts to talk about your mom, doesn't it?" Jordan said gently.

"Yeah," Amanda said. "Guess it doesn't stop."

"I've been in that same situation," Jordan said. "My mother was murdered when I was about 10 years old. I've spent the majority of the past 3 years trying to find out who did it, with no luck. I finally gave up on it. I finally figured out that I was hurting the people I loved by doing it, and I didn't want to hurt them anymore."

"Like dad?" Amanda asked.

"Your dad's a good man, and he's a good cop. But this was one murder mystery he got sick of being involved in. Every time I got close to finding out, I'd shut everything and everyone out, including him. He almost walked out on me last year, and that's what woke me up. I didn't want to lose him, so I did everything I could to keep him, including giving up the search for my mother's killer. It's been tough, but it's been worth it."

"I want to find the bastards that killed my mother," Amanda said with a fire in her eyes. "Not for me, but for my little sisters and Charlie. They deserve to see some justice."

"And what about you?"

"I just want to get on with my life, and if getting those guys helps me do it, then so be it."

* * *

They talked a lot over lunch (Chicken wraps and Oreo milkshakes), and then they decided to do some shopping. Jordan discovered that along with singing and sarcasm, Amanda had an extraordinary talent for shopping. Amanda had a credit card for a great deal of the stores, including one for Aeropostale, "But only so I can get PJs." She also discovered that Amanda was able to pay all the bills on time, due to the incredible amount of money she had saved from working in Wisconsin.

"I've never known an 18 year old who could actually pay off their credit card bills on time," Jordan said as they walked to the car, purchases in hand.

"Well, you've never known me and my friends before," Amanda said as they reached the car and got in. "We do a lot of things people don't expect."

"Like that table dancing?" Jordan asked with a slightly evil grin.

"My god, how many times do I have to say this? It wasn't REAL table dancing. All we did was get up on the bar and show off our new dance routines. It's not really table dancing unless you're doing it in a strip club."

"And how do you know that?"

"Lexi and Lucy's older brother Tom told us."

"That works."

"Yep," Amanda said. "It also worked when our moms found out about it..."

* * *

"Thanks for the ride Jordan," Amanda said as they parked in front of the apartment building. She then thought of something that could pose a problem: her dad.

"Does Dad know that you skipped me out of school?"

"Yeah," Jordan said, looking surprised. "Funny thing is, he actually encouraged it..."

"That is obviously not my dad, then," Amanda said seriously.

"Yes, something must have happened to the REAL Woody Hoyt," Jordan said, laughing at Amanda's mock seriousness.

Amanda waved one last time at Jordan before going into the building. As Jordan drove away, she thought, "This is going to be one interesting parent-kid relationship..."


	15. Wedding Day

Disclaimer: See previous chapter. The song "Wedding Day," and its lyrics, both belong to the Bee-Gees.

A/N: Here it is everyone...THE WEDDING! {Listens to all the yelling and cheering from the Woody/Jordan fans} Yes, I am giving you what the writers of the show refuse to give! Hope you all enjoy it! Thanks to Mrs. Rhett Butler and canadianfan1984 for reviewing.

(Side note to Mrs. Rhett Butler: Bonding is always good for a kid, whether they're teenagers or preschoolers, stepkids or biological kids. And I believe I remember some early requests for bonding moments between Jordan and Amanda, so it's not like I could refuse...Anyways, keep on the reviewing, and I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter!)

(Side note to canadianfan1984: Methinks that ye thinks correctly! {Sorry, I couldn't resist!} It WILL be a factor in their bonding, and also a big part of the story later on. Keep up the reading, reviewing, and enjoying!)

Chapter Fifteen: Wedding Day

"I'm so nervous! Is my dress ok? Is my hair ok? What about my make-up?"

It was the day of Woody and Jordan's wedding, and the bride was going crazy with nerves. It was up to the faithful bridesmaids to calm her down, something that at the moment appeared to be a Herculean task.

"Yes, Yes, and it's perfect," Lily said with a laugh. "Calm down Jordan! Everything's going to be fine!"

"She's right," agreed Devon. "You've made it this far, you'll make it the home stretch."

"They're BOTH right," Amanda interjected. "Look Jordan, you're marrying the man of your dreams, in a gigantic church wedding, with your closest friends as bridesmaids and groomsmen. It's basically the wedding every girl dreams of. Well, my dream weddings have featured either Matt Damon or Jason Lee as the groom, but other than that, there's no difference..."

"What about Peter?" Jordan asked slyly, cheered up by Amanda's previous comment.

"We've only been together for five months," Amanda said, blushing over her make-up. "That's hardly enough time together to be thinking about marriage. Besides, even if I was thinking about it, he might not be."

"The kid's got a point," said a voice from the doorway. All heads turned, and saw Renee Walcott standing in the doorway, hair and make-up done, dress on, and carrying a bag that contained a curling iron, hairpins, and other items. The girls had been surprised when, a month earlier, Jordan had called a truce with her and asked her to be a bridesmaid. Secretly, they had been hoping for a truce, but they had gotten more than they had bargained for.

"Anyway," Renee continued. "I've got the hairpins and whatnot, so the bridesmaids can FINALLY have their hair done! Would've been here earlier, but traffic's a bitch, and I can't control that."

"Unless you traded something for the world's only flying car," Amanda said under her breath, remembering the Kevin Smith short film she had watched earlier that morning. Thankfully, no one heard her, so she didn't have to explain herself.

"So, who's first?"

* * *

"This looks really good," Lily said as she stood up and looked at her hair in the mirror. "Never knew you were this good with hair."

"Well, for a while in high school, I wanted to be a cosmetologist, but plans fell through," Renee said. "OK Amanda, you're next, and then we're done."

Amanda sat down in the chair, and Renee began to brush and pull and twist her hair into the updo that Jordan had selected for the bridesmaids' hairstyle. While she was working, there was a knock at the door, and a voice unfamiliar to Amanda said, "Jordan, may I come in?" Jordan, Lily, and Devon all gasped. They knew who it was. Jordan nodded to Lily, who answered the door. In walked a man in his early 60s with white hair and eyes that sparkled like Jordan's did.

"Dad," Jordan whispered, before running to him. Max Cavanaugh caught his only daughter in a hug and said, "You look so beautiful, Jordan. Just like your mother did on our wedding day."

Jordan pulled back and studied her father. Not much had changed in the year he had been gone, except he looked healthier.

"So why did you come back?" she asked.

"Garrett called and told me you were getting married, and I also received a call from the groom, asking me to show up because my daughter had made it known that she wished I would be there to give her away." Amanda grinned when she heard this, knowing her father had been successful in getting Jordan's dad to appear for the wedding.

Max looked around the room, greeting the familiar faces, but stopping when he saw the teenager who was getting the finishing touches put on her hair. Renee put the last pin in place and said, "There we go Amanda! Now ALL the bridesmaids are finished."

"I assume that this is Woody's daughter, then?" Max asked as Amanda rose from her chair to greet him. He studied her as she walked over to him, and then smiled at her. "Welcome to the family Amanda," he said. "I hear you've been cleaning tables at the Pogue lately. Maybe we can do something about getting you to work in the tech booth permanently, now that I'm back."

"I wouldn't want any of the other employees to resent me," Amanda said. "I mean, they could claim preferential treatment..."

"Don't worry about it," Max said. "You're my granddaughter now. I'm supposed to spoil you, or so I've heard."

"You've heard right," Amanda said with a grin, and she would've continued, had it not been for the minister coming in and announcing that it was time. A last minute scurrying for bouquets, and they were ready.

* * *

The girls got into place as the music began, and they marched in a line through the doors and to the altar. The guys were already there, standing in a line behind Woody. Peter looked up as the girls entered, and was completely floored by Amanda's appearance.

The girls took their places at the altar, and then the music signaling the bride's entrance played. Everyone stood up and faced the doors, and watched as Jordan walked down the aisle on her father's arm. The assembled peoples oohed and ahhed over how beautiful Jordan looked, including the members of the wedding party. Jordan took her place next to Woody at the altar, and the ceremony began.

* * *

"Now it is time for the vows," the priest droned. Amanda had been watching the ceremony intently, but had stopped listening to the priest long before. She didn't need to anyways, she thought. Jordan and Woody had decided not to write their own vows, so they were just reciting after the priest anyways. She looked across the aisle to Peter, and smiled when she had caught his eye. She could tell he hadn't been paying attention to the priest either. She suddenly felt a slight pain in her side, and realized Devon had caught her and was trying to bring her attention back to the ceremony.

On the other side of the aisle, Peter was experiencing something similar, except it was Nigel who was doing the elbowing.

"Stealing glances at the bridesmaids, are we?" Nigel whispered, following Peter's eyes to the bridesmaid line. "Or should I say, bridesmaid?"

"I can't help it. She looks so beautiful," Peter whispered back. "Like an angel, or something from a dream..."

"That she does," Nigel agreed. "As do the rest of the bridesmaids. I can't help but notice that they put me with Devon, the only other single person working at the morgue. You think they're trying to give us a hint?"

"I wouldn't know," Peter said, turning his attention back to the ceremony. They had finished the vows, and were on to the most important part of the wedding.

"Do you, Woodrow Hoyt, take Jordan Cavanaugh to be your lawfully wedded wife; to have and to hold, to love and to cherish, for rich or poor, in sickness and in health, until death parts you?"

"I do."

"And do you, Jordan Cavanaugh, take Woodrow Hoyt to be your lawfully wedded husband; to have and to hold, to love and to cherish, for rich or poor, in sickness and in health, until death parts you?"

Jordan looked at Woody and smiled. "I do," she said.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife," the priest said. "Woody, you may kiss your bride."

As Woody leaned in to kiss Jordan, the church erupted in cheers.

* * *

"Finally! I can sit down!" Amanda said as she plopped herself into a chair. The reception was going strong, and she finally could get some rest. "Never knew being stepdaughter-of-the-bride could be so damned exhausting..."

"At least everyone's dancing now," Peter said as he dropped into the chair next to Amanda. "Did you hear that toast Garrett made? I thought Jordan was going to drop dead from embarrassment."

"I personally thought that you and the other groomsmen were gonna drop dead from keeping all that laughter in. Your faces were the brightest shade of red I've ever seen!" Garrett, who was again speaking into the mic, this time announcing the newlyweds' first dance, stalled Peter's reply.

"This song was picked out by Jordan and Woody, from their daughter Amanda's extensive music collection. Well, enough talking, it's time for the newlyweds to take center stage."

Woody led Jordan out into the middle of the dance floor as the music began to play...

_We both acknowledge what we came here for  
We take each other and walk through the open door  
From the first time that I saw you  
To the way you look tonight  
I was shaken by your spirit  
I was blinded by your light_

_And the world that I used to see is gone without a trace  
Replaced by your eyes and the smile upon your face  
And I will not turn away  
'Cause you might disappear  
I was haunted by your heart  
And I felt that you were here_

_And funny when the time is right  
When lightning strikes  
You're not alone  
Baby, I will pray for you my whole life through  
This day_

_We'll be together  
Husband and wife  
Now and forever  
The rest of our lives  
Well, take me to Heaven  
Take me tonight  
There is nothing words can say  
On this our wedding day_

_Oh, now is the hour, now is the sowing of the seed  
I will take tomorrow  
I will lay it at your feet  
And the two of us escape from the sadness of the world  
From the thunder and the darkness  
From the hunger and the hurt_

Everyone watched as the two danced across the floor. Amanda leaned her head on Peter's shoulder and smiled as he put his arm around her. This was true love in action they were watching, and everyone knew it.

_You know I will remember well the mission bell  
That rings your name  
And baby there could never be  
A memory like you_

_We'll be together  
Husband and wife  
Now and forever  
Lovers for life  
Well, take me to Heaven  
Take me tonight  
There is nothing words can say  
On this our wedding day_

_This is my pledge to you  
I will follow through to the end  
And we will find another plane  
We'll be home again  
And tonight I'm going to find true love, true love_

_We'll be together  
Husband and wife  
Now and forever  
Lovers for life  
Well, take me to Heaven  
Take me tonight  
There is nothing words can say  
On this our wedding day  
This our wedding day..._


	16. You Will Remember Our Names

Disclaimer: See previous chapter. The song "Fame," and its lyrics, both belong to Irene Cara. {Don't ask me why I have so many cheesy '80s songs in here; even **I** can't answer that one...}

A/N: Now that we've gotten through the wedding, it's time to flash forward a month to Amanda's graduation. This chapter was easier for me to write, seeing as how I've been to more graduations than weddings...Anyways; I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Thanks to Mrs. Rhett Butler, canadianfan1984, and TheNewMoo for reviewing.

(Side note to Mrs. Rhett Butler: Yeah, I wish she were that way on the show too. Most of the time she just pisses me off, but sometimes...she just pisses me off. And a Woody/Jordan wedding on the show would be great as well. {glares at the writers of the show} Oh well, can't win 'em all...It was only natural for the focus to come off of Amanda for a bit that time. I mean, a wedding is all about the bride and groom. But as you noticed, I couldn't resist throwing a bit of Peter/Amanda in during the reception. As for Max, I figure he has to come back SOMETIME, so why not for his daughter's wedding?)

(Side note to canadianfan1984: It did, didn't it? I did my best to make it a realistic wedding, but since I haven't been to many weddings, I had nothing to work with. Did the best I could, and apparently it worked. LOL yes, I do know who was in that movie! I couldn't resist throwing that one in. I have yet to see that movie, but I've seen the box cover, and he looks adorable, in a twelve-year-old sort of way...Anyways, there's an in-joke for someone else thrown into chapter 14. It's rather subtle, so it might not be recognizable right away, but it's there. If you pick up on that one too, let me know. It's nice to know that the in-jokes are getting recognized. I love putting in-jokes into my stories. Sometimes they're in-jokes that you had to be there for, but other times they're recognizable.)

(Side note to TheNewMoo: First off, I have to say that I love your SN. It's really cool, reminds me of something my friend said once. Wow, all in one sitting eh? You must've been pretty bored...after you finished, that is. {Laughs} Well, if you're giving it your seal of approval, I feel honored that you like it. I'll be sure to check your opinion of Woody, but I have to say, I'm a little scared to. No offense, of course. Glad you like the story, and I hope you keep reading and reviewing. If at any time you get bored with it, my advice is to run in the opposite direction from it as fast as you possibly can.)

Chapter Sixteen: You Will Remember Our Names

"So, how do I look?" Amanda said as she came out of her room and into the hallway of her father's apartment.

Woody and Jordan turned to face her as she entered the living room. She was wearing her graduation robe and cap (both a deep red) over a black dress, and her hair was straightened under the cap.

"You look very beautiful," Woody said as he got up to hug his daughter. "We're both very proud of you."

"Very proud," Jordan said as she joined them, also hugging Amanda. "Everyone's proud of you, including a certain doctor you've been seeing for the past six months."

Amanda blushed. "Peter's already mentioned that about a million times," she said. "He's really happy for me."

"We all are," Woody said, picking his car keys up off the kitchen island. "Now, if you ladies are ready, I believe it's time to go."

With that, the three of them went out the door and to the ceremony.

* * *

"Wow, it's really packed in here," Amanda said. She had met up with Lexi, Lucy, Jill, Becka, Lisa, Connor, Lucas, and Mike when her dad and Jordan dropped her off at the gymnasium entrance, and they were now peeking in through the doors, looking at all the people who filled the bleachers.

"Hey look," Lucy said, pointing into the crowd. "There's Jessie and Lori!"

"Where?" Amanda nearly shouted, as Lucy pointed her sisters out to her. "Oh my god, Charlie said they wouldn't be able to make it! How the hell did they get here?"

"I guess plans changed," Lexi said, grinning at the others behind Amanda's back. She made a mental note to thank Jordan after the graduation ceremony. Without her, they would've never been able to get them out to Boston.

"Children! Children!" Mrs. Donaldson shouted. "Get in your places! It's time to start!"

Amanda took a deep breath in and looked at her friends. "Well guys," she said. "This is it. We're gonna graduate."

* * *

The gymnasium quieted down as "Pomp and Circumstance" began to be played by the band. Everyone was silent as the graduates marched in and were seated. The band played a few songs, the students got their diplomas {friends and family of all grinning and taking pictures as their children went past}, the teachers made a few speeches, and then it was time for the speaker the students had elected from their class to speak. Finally, the last teacher finished speaking, and the principal approached the mic.

Principal Wilson stood in front of the mic and said, "Thank you Ms. Carlton. Now, to finish the ceremony, our class-elected speaker will give their reflections on their senior year. This year, the senior class of East Boston High has elected a student speaker who is intelligent, witty, and has the uncanny ability to fall asleep in study hall before attendance is even taken {here the seniors laughed}. This year's student elected speaker is Amanda Hoyt."

The audience, faculty, and seniors applauded as Amanda made her way to the stage, grinning and giving high-fives to some of the seniors as she passed them. The applause slowed to a stop as she adjusted the mic and began to speak.

"Principal Wilson, faculty, and fellow seniors. I would first like to thank my classmates for electing me as the speaker this year. Even though I have no idea what you were thinking when you did it, I'm glad you did. When I came to this school 9 months ago, I was a new student who didn't know the music room from the cafeteria; luckily, there were some people that were kind enough to show me the ropes. Some of them I knew, some of them I didn't know, but they helped me fit in here. The moments I remember from senior year are some of the funniest, saddest, and happiest moments of the school.

I remember how, the week after I first came here, Mr. Breton's room was mysteriously plastered with Pittsburgh Penguins signs, banners, and streamers colored black and gold; while at the same time, his Boston Bruins memorabilia mysteriously appeared in the room of Mrs. Sheldon, a notorious Pittsburgh Penguins fan. And no, my friends and I don't have any idea how that happened.

I remember when, during Spirit Week, the entire football team came dressed as rednecks on "What's In Your Future?" Day. An interesting side note: that day, the cheerleading squad-myself included-came dressed as the football team. Never did figure that one out...Sure as heck wasn't my idea. {At this, the seniors gasped} I know, I know, but hey, there's a first time for everything.

There were some sad moments too, like the ceremony held for the second anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, and the candlelight vigil held for Noah Danvers after his accident; but then there were the happy moments too, like the moment when Noah walked into school for the first time after months of physical therapy, or when our football team won the State Championship (GO WARRIORS!).

So many moments that made our senior year memorable, and so many memories that we'll hold dear after we graduate. But there are some people whom we owe some serious thanks to. To Principal Wilson: We really appreciate the fact that you were a good sport about the football & basketball teams & the cheerleading squad putting your car on the roof of the gym. To Mrs. Donaldson: Thanks for advising us on so many fronts, especially on which company to get a crane from for the car job. We couldn'tve done it without you. {At this, Principal Wilson laughed along with the students}

To Mr. Breton: The student council wanted to thank you for helping them set up for graduation this year, and also for helping them find the sheet music for "Pomp and Circumstance" that mysteriously disappeared at nearly the last moment. The band also wanted to thank you for that, and for not getting too mad at them for playing "Boys Of Summer" at the last rehearsal.

And finally, to the seniors: Thank you for a wonderful year. All of us who came in this year thank you for being so helpful, and for not trying to sell us elevator passes. Contrary to popular belief, new kids are not that stupid. To the rest of you, who have been here through thick and thin, and everything in between; your classmates thank you for being there. Congratulations, Class of 2004: WE'RE OUTTA HERE!"

At this final exclamation, the seniors-Amanda included-threw their caps in the air with shouts and whoops of joy. They had finally done it: they had graduated.

* * *

"We did it! We did it!" Lexi screamed as she and the other girls engulfed Amanda in a gigantic group hug.

"I know!" Lucy squealed. "Isn't it exciting? We're finally out of there!"

"No more pencils, no more books, no more teachers' dirty looks!" sang Jill, Becka, and Lisa together.

"School's out for the summer...School's out FOREVER!!!" sang the boys as they joined the girls.

"Damn straight!" Amanda said. "I told you guys Connor would graduate!"

"Hey!" Connor said as he good-naturedly elbowed Amanda. "Be fair! I told them I would too!"

"So, we'll see you at the party?" Lucas said to Amanda. He was referring to the graduation party being held at the Pogue. Max had willingly rented the bar out to Lucas and the others to have the after-graduation party, but had cleared out all the beer and liquor beforehand.

"Yeah," Amanda said. "I have to go find my family first. They're waiting for me." And with that, she ran off to find her waiting family.

* * *

"Jessie!!!!!" Amanda screamed. She had finally found them, waiting near the exit to the football field, and-unbeknownst to Amanda-Jessie had been put on "Amanda Watch" by the grown-ups.

"Manda!!!" Jessie yelled as she ran to her older sister, followed by her father and younger sister. Amanda picked up her little sister and spun her around in a circle, hugging her tightly.

"When did you guys get here?" Amanda said, as Charlie and Lori hugged her. "I thought you said you couldn't make it."

"We had a change of plans," Charlie said. "Unfortunately, we have to leave soon. I was only able to get enough time for a flight out to see the graduation, so we're not going to be staying for the party."

"It's OK," Amanda said, holding Lori on her hip. "The fact that you made it was enough. Now, Miss Lori," she said to her baby sister. "Let's go see everyone else. They're waiting for us."

* * *

"There she is," Lily said, pointing to the approaching figure of Amanda. The group turned to see her, and laughed when they saw that Lori was wearing Amanda's cap. Amanda handed Lori back to Charlie (retrieving her cap in the process), and ran to the awaiting group.

"You did it!" Jordan said as she hugged Amanda. "We're all very proud of you."

"Definitely," Woody said as Amanda hugged him next. "My only daughter, a high school graduate! I feel kind of old..." Amanda laughed at her father's comment, then went back over to her stepfather and sisters to say goodbye to them, as they were leaving. As soon as they left, Amanda greeted the crew from the morgue, thanking them for coming.

"It was no trouble at all, love," Nigel said as he hugged Amanda. "We were happy to be here."

"Like Jordan said, we're all very proud of you," Lily said. Bug nodded in agreement and said, "Congratulations."

Amanda grinned and thanked them. Her grin turned to a broad smile when she saw Peter pushing his way through the crowd towards them. She ran to him, and he caught her in a tight embrace and kissed her, all the while telling her how proud he was.

After all the hugging and congratulating was done between Amanda and her friends, the group headed over to the Pogue for the celebratory party.

* * *

"Finally done!" Amanda said as she walked out of the restroom at the Pogue, carrying her graduation cap and gown in her arms, her make-up freshly applied. "Boy, am I glad to be out of these..."

She made her way over to the bar, where her friends and family waited. "Miss me?" she asked jokingly.

"Of course," Lexi said. "Wouldn't be a party without you."

"Well, it would be," Connor said. "Just not a fun party."

"A very dull party," Mike supplied. "Dull-as-a-tomb party."

"Dull-as-a-" Lucas began, before the girls shouted, "WE GET THE PICTURE!"

As they were talking, Jill and Becka had made their way to the stage and were now in front of the mics.

"HEY EVERYONE!" Jill yelled into the mic, getting the attention of all present. "This is something that we all decided we were going to do at the party, so listen up!"

"As you all know, we chose the Senior Class Song earlier this month," Becka said. "Well, now it's time to let everyone hear it. And before we start, may we remind you of our class saying, as seen on our Senior Sweatshirts; Class of 2004: You Will Remember Our Names!"

Becka turned to Jill, who pushed a button on the remote control she was holding. Music began to blare from the speakers, the Senior Class Song for the East Boston High Class of 2004; a song that elicited cheers from the students and groans from the parents.

_Baby look at me  
And tell me what you see._**  
**_You ain't seen the best of me yet  
Give me time, I'll make you forget the rest.  
I got a story, and you can set it free  
I can catch the moon in my hand  
Don't you know who I am?_

_Remember my name (Fame)  
I'm gonna live forever  
I'm gonna learn how to fly (High)  
I feel it coming together  
People will see me and die (Fame)  
I'm gonna make it to heaven  
Light up the sky like a flame (Fame)  
I'm gonna live forever  
Baby, remember my name  
Remember, Remember, Remember, Remember,  
Remember, Remember, Remember,__Remember_

The kids all piled onto the dance floor. Amanda had stayed seated at the bar, finishing her drink, when someone tapped her on the shoulder.

"Come on Hoyt," Peter said with a grin. "You're not getting out of this one."

Amanda smiled as Peter led her onto the dance floor. This was the best damned party she'd ever been to.

_Baby hold me tight  
And you can make it right.  
You can shoot me straight to the top  
Give me love and take all I got to give.  
Baby I'm in love  
Too much is not enough  
I surround your heart to embrace  
You know I got what it takes._

_Remember my name (Fame)  
I'm gonna live forever  
I'm gonna learn how to fly (High)  
I feel it coming together  
People will see me and die (Fame)  
I'm gonna make it to heaven  
Light up the sky like a flame (Fame)  
I'm gonna live forever  
Baby, remember my name  
Remember, Remember, Remember, Remember,  
Remember, Remember, Remember, Remember_

_Remember my name (Fame)  
I'm gonna make it to heaven  
Light up the sky like a flame (Fame)  
I'm gonna live forever  
Baby, remember my name  
Remember, Remember, Remember, Remember,  
Remember, Remember, Remember, Remember_


	17. Welcome and Unwelcome Visitors

Disclaimer: Don't own any of it, although there are certain people I wouldn't mind owning...(You know who you are...)

A/N: Anyways, once again, my wonderful brain trust decided to take a hike, so the ideas were once again GONE. But have no fear; I've got 'em again, so you get more story! Thanks to canadianfan1984, Any, Dan, and sharebear for reviewing.

(Side note to canadianfan1984: Yeah, she does. Everyone needs friends like that. And of course, having a boyfriend who is the textbook definition of "tall, dark, and handsome" doesn't hurt at all! Thanks for reading, and I hope you're not too pissed that I took so long to put this up. I can't help it that my muse decided to go on vacation... :D)

(Side note to Any: Well, thanks! Not everyday someone just finds something and loves it. Hope you keep reading and that you review again.)

(Side note to sharebear: Thanks for the information! It's really helpful; I don't know how yet, but it will be. Besides, it kinda works; I mean, Jerry O'Connell looks older than he really is, and Jill Hennessey looks younger than she really is. I know, it is a new twist, and so far it's been really well received by the readers; a fact that never ceases to amaze me. Thanks for reading, and I hope you keep enjoying the story!)

(Side note to Dan: Well, you're getting more! Please keep reviewing. It really helps.)

Chapter Seventeen: Welcome and Unwelcome Visitors

"How's it going down there Amanda?" Nigel asked, addressing the pair of feet that were sticking out from under the desk.

Amanda rolled out from under the desk looking frazzled. "Well, seeing as how I haven't set up computers on a wireless network since about, oh, 10th grade, it's going pretty well. I only have to get the monitor plugged in, and then plug the power cables into that power strip over there, and then I'll be done." With that, she rolled back under the desk to finish working. A few moments later, the door opened, and Jordan walked in.

"Hey Nigel," she said, looking around the room. "Where's Amanda?"

Nigel pointed down at the floor, and Jordan looked down to see a pair of legs sticking out from under the desk.

"Down here," Amanda said, rolling out from under the desk and standing up. "What'd I do this time?"

"Nothing," Jordan said with a grin. "But there's something you should see in the conference room."

Amanda looked at Nigel, who waved his hand at the door, as if to say, "Oh go on then." With the obvious permission given, Amanda walked out of the office and towards the conference room.

* * *

Amanda was deep in thought as she walked to the conference room, so deep in thought that she almost didn't see Peter walking down the hallway in the opposite direction.

"What's got you so deep in thought?" he asked. Amanda jumped, and then sighed with relief.

"I didn't see you coming," she said. "Jordan came into the office when I was fixing the computer and told me that there was something I should see in the conference room, and I have no idea what it is. I'm actually a bit worried."

"Don't be," Peter said. "Just go see what it is. You never know, it could be something decent."

"Fine, I'll go see," Amanda said with a small sigh of defeat. "But if it's another rat's brain, I'm having you and Bug shot."

"Oh come on, Amanda, it was only once," Peter said with a roguish grin. "And you thought it was funny."

Amanda glared at Peter, then grinned. "Well, if you'll excuse me," she said with a tone of mock superiority. "I have some business to attend to in the conference room."

With that, she turned and walked off, stopping at the third door on the left. As she opened it, Peter grinned. He knew exactly what was inside the room, and knew Amanda would be happily surprised.

* * *

Amanda opened the door of the conference room and went inside. She scanned the room, trying to see what the surprise might be, when her eyes widened. Sitting at the table in the middle of the room was a young woman in her late 20s with brown hair and brown eyes. Amanda screamed with joy and ran to her sister.

"Oh my god!" Amanda shouted. "Michelle, what the hell are you doing here?"

Michelle Anderson caught her younger sister in a hug and said, "Is it a crime to come out and visit your younger sister occasionally?"

"No! Of course not! I'm just really surprised to see you here," Amanda said all in one breath. "I thought you couldn't get off work this week?"

"And miss my little sister's 19th birthday? What kind of big sister do you think I am?" Michelle said with mock disgust as they sat down at the table. "Anyways, the boss owed me a favor for fixing the budget on my day off, and I called it in, so here we are!"

"That's really cool Shelley, I mean-wait a minute..." Amanda said slowly, standing up and looking suspiciously at her older sister. "You said we, not I. Who else did you bring?"

At that moment, Amanda found herself being dive-bombed from the sides by 4 children who had just appeared from under the table, laughing their heads off. "I guess this is what you meant by we?" Amanda asked ruefully from the floor where she lay under a pile of kids.

"Surprise Aunt Amanda!!" screamed the kids. "Happy Birthday!"

Amanda laughed as she sat up and pulled the kids into a gigantic group hug. "Thank you," she said. "So, how are you little demon children?"

"We're fine," said Chad and John together as they stood up, before realizing that they had been tricked. "HEY!"

"Sorry," Amanda said with a grin as she stood up, pulling the two remaining giggling children up with her. "I couldn't resist." She looked at the two 4 year olds standing next to her and said, "And how are you two?"

"We were good," said the little girl, as her brother nodded. "We were good on the plane."

"Yeah," said the little boy. "We were good. We gotted wings!" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small pin shaped like a pair of wings. "See?"

"Very nice," Amanda said, admiring the wings for her nephew and niece's benefits. "So, where's your dad?"

"Dad's back at the hotel," Chad said as he peeked out the door. "Where are all the dead people?"

The twins and John sniggered, while Amanda blanched visibly. She hadn't thought he'd ask that, but of course, she should've; him being her nephew and all.

"They put them away so you wouldn't get to 'em," Michelle said to her oldest son. "So, now that you guys have seen your aunt again, it's time to go back to the hotel."

True to their nature, the kids began to whine (the twins), plead (Chad), and give the puppy face (the twins, Chad, and John). Michelle looked at her kids, sighed, and said, "OK, OK, but only two of you can stay."

The twins, sensing that this was their opportunity, walked over to Amanda and latched on to her legs, giving their mom the puppy face as best as they could. Amanda looked down at the new appendages, and then looked at Michelle. Once again, Michelle sighed in defeat and said, "OK, you two can stay with your aunt. But there are a few rules: Jack, no pulling your sister's hair; Jill, no kicking your brother-that goes for you too Jack; and both of you, listen to your aunt."

At that moment, Jordan walked into the room. She looked around for Amanda, then saw her standing across the room, with two small children attached to her legs. Amanda gave her a "what can I do? They want to stay..." look, and Jordan grinned. Her grin faded as she remembered the reason she had come in.

"Amanda, if you're not too busy, there's someone else here to see you," she said. "He's waiting out here in the hallway."

Amanda nodded, and-detaching the kids from her legs-walked out into the hallway, the kids tagging along behind.

* * *

He stood there in the hallway, aware of the dirty looks he was receiving from the woman who was returning to tell him Amanda would be there in a moment. He was aware of the MEs watching him from the doorways, and of a cop standing next to the woman. He saw her then, walking down the hallway, stopping to talk two of the MEs before continuing.

He hoped she would talk to him. It had been far too long.

* * *

Amanda walked down the hallway, the twins a small distance in front of her, jibber-jabbering to each other. A voice stopped her.

"So, are these two of the demons?" Nigel asked as he came up the hallway with Peter.

"We're not demons!" Jack said.

"We're twins!" said Jill with a grin. Amanda laughed at their innocence and said, "Kids, this is Dr. Townsend, and this is Dr. Winslow. They work here."

Jill motioned for Amanda to lean down. "Is that your boyfriend?" Jill whispered, pointing at Peter. Amanda nodded. "Just wondering," Jill said. Peter laughed, having heard the attempt at a serious conversation.

"Maybe not for long," he said with a grin. "That guy waiting for you at the end of the hall says he needs to talk to you urgently."

"Well then, I guess I must be going," Amanda said lightly, secretly wondering who this "mystery man" was. "Come on you two, let's go."

The twins waved at Peter and Nigel, and followed their aunt down the hallway.

* * *

Amanda got to the end of the hallway and stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the man standing there. Her eyes became cold and icy, and her voice turned to steel.

"What are you doing here Justin?"


	18. Blast From Her Past

Disclaimer: See previous chapter.

A/N: For now, I'm going to put the answers to my reviews at the bottom of the page. That way, you all can get to the story faster! For anyone who didn't know/has forgotten who Justin is: he's Amanda's older stepbrother. For more info on him, read Chapter 14.

Chapter Eighteen: Blast From Her Past

Jordan gasped. So this was the older brother Amanda had always talked about with thinly-veiled venom in her voice. Michelle and the kids had come out of the room and down the hallway just in time to hear Amanda ask him what he was doing in Boston.

"Justin, I told you this wasn't a good time…" Michelle said, trying to settle the situation a bit. "Chad, John, take your brother and sister back to the conference room please." The boys protested, but upon seeing the look on their mother's face, whisked their siblings away immediately.

"Wait a minute," Amanda said, turning to face her older sister with a look of disbelief on her face. "You KNEW he was here? You knew he was going to do this?" The entire morgue crew was now watching the scene unfold in the hallway, and all of them knew that this would not end well.

"Amanda," Michelle said, walking slowly towards her now visibly shocked younger sister with her hands up, as if trying to stop an imminent attack. "Calm down for a minute. Yes, I did know that Justin was coming to Boston. But I didn't know he would come here to see you. I told him it wasn't a good idea, but as always, he didn't listen and did it anyway."

Amanda looked like she had just been slapped in the face. Her own older sister had done something she had told her she'd never do: bring her older brother within 20 feet of her. Her expression radically changed from one of shock to one of burning anger.

"Uh-oh," Woody whispered to Jordan as they watched the unfolding scene with Peter, Nigel, Bug, Lily, and Devon. "This cannot be good."

"Who's this guy anyway?" Peter asked, as the others nodded, as if asking the question themselves.

"That's her older stepbrother," Jordan replied. "They're, um…not on good terms, to put it lightly." Satisfied with the answer, they turned their attention back to Michelle and Amanda, the latter of which was visibly angry.

"Michelle, you promised," Amanda said, shaking with anger. "You promised me that I'd never have to see that bastard again!"

"Amanda, I know I did, but he wanted to see you," Michelle said weakly, realizing that her worst fears about this meeting were about to come true.

"But you promised me!" Amanda said, raising her voice. "You promised that after your wedding, I'd never have to see him again, that you'd never bring him anywhere near me again!"

"I couldn't help it!" Michelle said, regaining her strength and her voice. "It's not like I can control my brother! Besides, he wanted to see you! He actually WANTED to! Doesn't that matter?"

"Why would I want to see him?" Amanda yelled. "After all the shit that he said about me, Jessie, Lori, and Mom? Forget it!"

"Amanda, please…"

Amanda whirled around to face her stepbrother, who had just spoken in an effort to deflect the anger away from Michelle.

"What do you want?" she yelled. It was too late to calm her down. Amanda was prepared for battle, and nothing would stop her.

* * *

"You guys might want to leave," Michelle said as she walked back to the group. "She's gonna explode any minute."

"Isn't there any way to calm her down?" Peter asked.

Michelle shook her head. "She's too far gone. After all the years of keeping her thoughts about him to herself for Dad's sake, she's finally gonna let go on him."

"What did she mean about the stuff he said about her mom?" Bug asked.

"After her mother died, I called her here in Boston to offer my condolences. Justin was at the house with his kids when I made the phone call, and she heard him and his wife talking about her mom. It didn't go over well at all."

"Well, if he hated her and her family so much, why is he here?" Devon asked, confused.

"A couple of years ago, Justin decided that it wasn't worth holding a grudge against Dad anymore, so he started coming to see him whenever he visited us. He'd always ask about Amanda, to see how she was. He wanted to make amends for all the stuff he'd done over the years, but every time I'd call and try to tell her, she'd refuse to listen. She's held a grudge against him for a long time…She refuses to talk to him, to see him; and when she does talk about him, she always does it in the shortest amount of words possible. He figured that if he came here with me, she'd be more likely to listen, but as you can see…"

"She's not having any of it," Nigel finished. "Well you can't really blame her for it. What about his wife?"

"His wife was really the only thing holding him back from complete reconcilliation with the family; she was the one really saying stuff about Amanda's mom, but Amanda only heard Justin. His wife was very controlling, and threatened to take the kids from him every time he tried to leave," Michelle continued. "They got divorced a month ago, he got the kids, and he figured that now would be the best time."

"We'll just have to wait and see what happens," Lily said with a worried expression on her face as they turned to watch Amanda again.

* * *

"What do you want?" Amanda yelled, finally facing her older brother. "What the hell could you possibly want?"

"Amanda, calm down," Justin said, worried for his younger sister. "I just want to talk to you."

Amanda laughed; a strange, maniacal laugh so unlike her own. "Telling me to calm down…It sounds like you almost give a damn Justin. I applaud you, you've obviously taken some acting lessons over the years."

"Amanda, I'm…" Justin started to say, but was cut off by Amanda.

"No. You're not talking. You're gonna stand here, and you're gonna listen to everything I have to say to you." Amanda said in an oddly determined voice. "First off, I'd just like to let you know that the only reason I'm not trying to beat the shit out of you is that Michelle's here, and you know as well as I do that she hates fistfights now. Do you understand that?"

Justin nodded, scared of how calm and determined Amanda had become in the last few minutes. Having seen him answer in the affirmative, Amanda continued.

"It's become blatantly obvious to you in the last few minutes that I hate you, but you have no idea. You caused me and my mother so much pain in the past 13 years that at times, it almost became unbearable, and that shit you said on the phone about my mother after she had DIED was the last fucking straw."

"Amanda, you didn't hear it all…"

"I believe the words you used were, 'It's about fucking time she died. It was probably her bastard kid's fault too,' am I right?" Amanda said coldly. "Well, I'll bet you didn't know this, but I DO blame myself for what happened to my mother. You have NO idea what it was like knowing that you were responsible for one of your parents' death, and you never will. But what REALLY pisses me off is the fact that you didn't even bother to show up at her FUCKING FUNERAL TO BE THERE FOR YOUR OWN GODDAMNED FATHER!"

"Amanda, I couldn't," Justin said. "The other members of your mom's family didn't want me there, and neither did…" Amanda cut him off again.

"IF YOU EVEN TRY TO SAY THAT YOU DIDN'T SHOW UP TO COMFORT YOUR FATHER BECAUSE OF YOUR FUCKING CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON WIFE, I DON'T CARE IF MICHELLE DOES SEE, I WILL BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF YOU!" Amanda screamed, now completely around the bend. "THAT IS NO FUCKING EXCUSE FOR IT! ALL THOSE TIMES SHE 'WENT TO VISIT HER PARENTS' AND YOU STILL COULDN'TVE COME TO SEE CHARLIE? YOU WERE THE WORST SON EVER! YOU UP AND DECIDED THAT JUST BECAUSE YOUR FATHER DECIDED TO BE HAPPY, YOU WOULD BE THE BIGGEST ASSHOLE ON THE PLANET AND NEVER SPEAK TO HIM AGAIN? THAT IS REALLY FUCKING LOW JUSTIN, EVEN FOR YOU!"

Justin was angry now. "DO YOU REALLY THINK I WOULD BE THAT MUCH OF AN ASSHOLE ON PURPOSE? DID YOU KNOW THAT MY WIFE THREATENED TO TAKE AWAY MY CHILDREN IF I TRIED TO DIVORCE HER? AND I'LL BET YOU DIDN'T KNOW THAT EVERY TIME I VISITED MICHELLE OR MELISSA, I ASKED ABOUT YOU, AND HOW YOU WERE DOING!"

"IT DOESN'T MATTER!!" Amanda screamed. Peter tried to go to her, but Woody held him back. "Let her get this out," he said. "She needs it."

"MAYBE IF I HAD BEEN ALLOWED TO TALK TO MY DAD EVERY TIME I CALLED, THIS WOULDN'T BE SUCH AN ISSUE!"

"WELL MAYBE IF YOU DIDN'T HANG THE FUCK UP EVERY TIME MY MOTHER ANSWERED THE PHONE, YOU WOULD'VE GOTTEN TO TALK TO HIM!" Amanda screamed as she turned and started to walk down the hallway. She had had enough of Justin blaming her mother for everything that happened to him.

"WELL MAYBE IF YOUR MOTHER WASN'T SUCH A WHORE, YOU'D BE MY REAL SISTER, AND THIS FIGHT WOULD'VE BEEN OVER A WHILE AGO!" Justin stopped as soon as the words came out of his mouth. He knew he had gone too far.

* * *

Amanda was almost all the way to the group when Justin had screamed his final insult. She stopped dead in her tracks. Those closest to her at that moment (her father, her stepmother, and Peter) saw her face go pale pale white. She turned around slowly, then started running back towards her stepbrother. In that moment, Justin knew he had DEFINITELY gone too far.

Amanda screamed as she jumped on her stepbrother and began to hit him as hard as she possibly could. "HOW DARE YOU TALK ABOUT MY MOTHER THAT WAY!!" Amanda screamed as she punched Justin repeatedly.

Suddenly, she felt a pair of arms go around her waist and her body being lifted up off of her brother. She kicked and screamed "LET ME GO! LET ME GO!" but her father refused to let go of her. Michelle ran over and helped her brother stand up. Justin wiped his lip-split by Amanda's punches-as he stood and faced his little sister, now wild-eyed with anger and hurt.

"Amanda, I didn't mean it," he said, visibly remorseful. "I didn't mean it. It was a heat-of-the-moment thing…I didn't really mean it. Please, forgive me."

Woody finally let go of Amanda, who calmly walked up to Justin and said, "She may have been a whore to you, but at least my mother loved me," before getting into an elevator and leaving the bewildered group standing there, until Peter ran to the elevators and got in, hell-bent on catching Amanda before she did something stupid.

* * *

A/N 2: This was probably the hardest chapter for me to write, because much of the whole Amanda/Justin thing was taken from my real-life experiences with my older half-brother, with a few major differences: namely, his mother passed away, and he has never once made the effort to reconcile with me, my mother, and younger sister. Anyways, on to the reviews!

Dan: Well, you just found out what's up. There's going to be a lot more to come in this, and-well, let's just say that this conflict is the other reason why this story is part tragedy…Keep on reading. I'm posting the next two chapters tonight, if I can.


	19. Too Little, Too Late

Disclaimer: See previous chapter.

A/N: OK everyone, here it is. The second tragedy of the story. Brace yourselves. Also, this chapter is shorter, seeing as how I'm pushing curfew to write it.

Chapter Nineteen: Too Little, Too Late

Amanda got out of the elevator and ran through the lobby crying. Suddenly, a hand grabbed her, pulling her to a stop. She turned to see who it was, expecting to see Justin. She was surprised to see it was Peter.

"What are you doing?" Amanda asked, tears streaming down her face.

"Trying to stop you from doing something stupid," Peter said, pulling her close to him. "I was worried you'd run off and do something to hurt yourself."

Amanda layed her head down on Peter's shoulder and cried. She knew that he was right, that if she had gotten back to the apartment, that she probably would've tried to hurt herself. She was glad he had caught her.

* * *

They were too busy holding each other to notice the man in the black outfit walk through the door, holding a gun. The man took deliberate aim and fired one shot. "Finished the job," he muttered. "Hope the boss is happy."

* * *

Amanda and Peter heard the shot. Amanda blanched visibly, then looked down at the side of her shirt. There was blood on it where the bullet had entered her body. Amanda looked Peter in the eye, then collapsed to the floor, bleeding. Peter yelled for the desk clerk to call an ambulance. When he was sure she had, he took out his cell phone and made a call of his own. When he had finished, he took Amanda in his arms and tried to comfort her and keep her awake long enough for the ambulance to arrive.

* * *

A few moments later, Woody answered his cell phone. What he heard nearly killed him. He listened to the speaker, then hung up his phone and strode towards the elevator. When the others asked what had happened, he told them the unthinkable:

Amanda had only made it as far as the lobby before she had been shot.

* * *

"Peter," Amanda whispered. She was awake enough to realize that she was lying on the ground, in a growing pool of her own blood, and that Peter was beside her, holding something on her side with one hand and her hand in his other.

"Don't try to talk, OK?" he said.

"What the hell happened?" she asked weakly. She heard a commotion nearby, and turned her head enough to see a man dressed in black on the ground, a police officer standing above him. "Was I shot?"

Peter nodded and said, "Yeah. There's an ambulance on its way, and your dad's coming downstairs."

Amanda's eyes went wide. "Is everyone coming with him?"

"I think they might, if he told them where he was going," Peter said. "Why?"

"I don't want my niece and nephews seeing their aunt this way," Amanda said, gasping with pain. "I want them to stay upstairs."

"I'm sure they won't let them see."

Amanda felt something soft against the side where she had been shot. "What are you using to catch the blood?" she asked.

"The top part of my uniform," Peter said with a small grin. "Don't worry, I had something on under it…"

"Right now, that's the least of my worries," Amanda said, chuckling slightly, then wincing with the pain. "Damn, this hurts."

"I'll bet it does," Peter said. "Just try to stay awake, OK? I need you to concentrate on staying awake." He squeezed Amanda's hand and looked into her eyes, now brimming with tears from the pain.

"I'm dying, aren't I?" she asked with fear in her voice. "I'm gonna die here in the lobby…."

"You're not gonna die, you hear me?" Peter told her, as scared as she was. "I'm not gonna let you die here Amanda." There was a sudden clatter, and Peter saw-out of the corner of his eye-Woody, Jordan, Justin, Nigel, and Devon emerge from the elevator.

* * *

Justin turned white when he exited the elevator. His younger sister-the sister he had just caused to run to the lobby-was now lying on the floor of the lobby in her boyfriend's arms, bleeding from a gunshot wound. His first instinct was to get sick on the spot, but his first instinct never kicked in. He ran to his sister's side and kneeled there.

"Hey," he said quietly. Amanda turned her head to face him and attempted a smile.

"Hey yourself," she whispered. "Sorry about what happened up there. Shouldn'tve bitched at you like that."

"I'm the one that should be sorry," Justin said. "It was my fault. I shouldn'tve said that about your mom. Look, the ambulance should be coming soon, just hold on, OK?"

"I'm trying," Amanda said. "Don't worry about me, OK?"

"I'll try not to," Justin said. "But that'll be after you're fine again." He made sure she was in good hands before walking to the nearest bathroom, where his first instinct finally kicked in.

* * *

Amanda gasped again. The pain was getting to be too much at times. She was trying not to show it, for Peter's sake, but it was getting to be too hard.

"It hurts," she whimpered, squeezing Peter's hand. "It really really hurts."

"It's gonna be OK, Amanda," Peter said, trying hard to stop the tears that had begun to flow a few minutes before. "Just hold on, OK? Keep holding on. If not for your father, or your family, for me, OK?" A sudden noise caused them to turn their heads.

"What was that?" Amanda asked. She felt herself growing weaker, and needed to know what the noise was.

"Sirens," Peter answered. "The ambulance is here. You're gonna make it, I promise."

Amanda nodded, then looked past Peter and towards her father, who was talking to some other cops on the scene. She was scared to leave them all. She had a feeling she was dying, but didn't want to believe it.

Amanda looked towards the doors and saw the EMTs entering and coming towards her. She turned her head to look at Peter and said, "I did my best. Must've been too little, too late."

She saw Peter lean down towards her and felt him kiss her before everything went black.


	20. The Show Must Go On

Disclaimer: See previous chapters. The lyrics to and the song "Who Wants To Live Forever" both belong to Queen. The song from which the title of this chapter was taken, "The Show Must Go On," is also owned by Queen.

A/N: In the reviews I got for the last chapter, I had requests to let Amanda live. I don't want to spoil anything, but I believe you readers will be pleasantly surprised…

Chapter Twenty: The Show Must Go On

_"Doctor, please, just tell me: how bad is she?"_

_"Your daughter has lost a lot of blood Detective Hoyt, but the bullet missed any vital organs. She's alive, but I'm afraid she's slipped into a coma from the blood loss. There's no way to know how long she'll be in the coma, but if she survives tonight, her chances of recovery will be very good."_

"That was five days ago," Woody whispered into the quiet of the hospital room. "And you still aren't awake." He walked over to the hospital bed where Amanda lay sleeping. She had survived the initial gunshot wound, and the surgery to remove the bullet, but she hadn't woken from her coma yet. Woody looked around her room. It was so cold and so empty looking, even with the many bouquets of flowers filling it. The only thing remotely alive in it was his daughter, and she wasn't really alive at the moment. At least, not the kind of alive he remembered her being.

He looked around the room again, and noticed a second living thing in it. Well, a living, sleeping thing. There, in a chair next to Amanda's bed, was Peter, fast asleep and holding tightly to Amanda's hand. "He's been here every day since Amanda was admitted," Woody remembered. "The only times he's left this room have been when me or one of her siblings came, to give us some time with her. No wonder he's asleep: he's exhausted."

Woody walked over to the sleeping ME and shook his shoulder lightly. Peter woke with a start, and looked quickly around the room, as if he had forgotten where he was. He looked at the bed, and his face fell, suddenly remembering where he was and why he was there. He looked at Woody, as if to ask, "Did I miss anything?" His face fell again as Woody shook his head, telling him that nothing had changed.

"I don't know how much more I can take of this," he muttered. "She doesn't look like herself at all. She looks…She…it's like she's not even there. Like she's already dead."

"I know," Woody said quietly. "It's hard for all of us."

"I was right there. I was right there, and I couldn't do anything to stop him. I couldn't do anything to save her."

"Peter, you did what you could. Neither of you saw that guy coming. There was nothing any of us could've done to stop it. Do you think Amanda wants to hear you talk like this? Do you think she wants to hear you blame yourself for something you had no control over? You know as well as I do that she doesn't."

"I know. You know what would be happening right now if this was happening a few years ago?" Woody nodded, knowing what Peter meant: If this had been the past, he'd be reaching for drugs. He'd probably be high already.

"Knowing that there's a chance, that she's still in there somewhere…that's the only thing keeping me together right now. Amanda's the only thing stopping that from happening again. That's why I'm still here, sitting in this goddamned uncomfortable chair, waiting for her to come back…"

"You love her," Woody finished quietly. "It's obvious to everyone how much you love her. And that's what she needs right now…love, and her family and friends. You're doing a great thing Peter, and I really appreciate it."

Peter nodded his head in silent thanks. "You want some time with her?" he asked quietly. He could tell by the look on Woody's face that he did, so he stood up and started to walk out of the room.

"Hey Peter," Woody said, causing Peter to turn around again. "Get something to eat. You look like you haven't had anything to eat or drink in three days."

Peter smiled wryly. "I haven't," he said as he walked out of the room.

* * *

Woody leaned over and kissed Amanda's forehead before sitting in the now-empty chair next to her bed. He took her hand in his own and squeezed it tightly.

"Hey Bean," he said. "It's Dad. I hope you don't mind, but I sent Peter off to get something to eat. He's been here every day, you know, ever since they brought you here, so I figured he probably hadn't eaten in a while. He's really scared for you; we all are. I think he blames himself for what happened to you. He's not the only one…Justin does too, I think. He's been here almost as much as Peter. Your sisters have been here too, and so have the kids. They're staying for another week, or until you wake up, whichever comes first. Which reminds me, you probably want to know what's going on right now."

"You've been in here five days now. It's five minutes after midnight, on September 15th. In an hour, you'll be 19 years old. I remember the night you were born. It was almost exactly like this, except it was colder. Kewaunee was in the middle of its worst cold snap ever, and I was woken up at midnight by a phone call. It was your mother, calling to tell me that she was in labor. Well, you can probably imagine that my parents weren't happy about me being on the phone that late. But as soon as I told them why, they drove me down to the hospital. By the time we got to the hospital, your mom was pretty far along. They made me put on the ugliest scrubs imaginable before I could go in the room, and when I went in, it was already 12:55 a.m."

"It didn't take very long for you to be born. Before I knew it, there was a loud scream, and there you were, a beautiful baby girl. _My_ baby girl. After the cord was cut, they wrapped you in a towel and let me hold you for the first time. There I was in a hospital, 15 years old, and I was holding my daughter. Most kids would have freaked out in that situation, but I didn't. As soon as they put you in my arms, I knew that I had something besides your mother to live for. What I did when you were older was inexcusable and selfish. If I had known then, that I would be this close to losing you, I never would've done it." Woody was so busy talking to Amanda that he didn't notice Peter standing in the doorway, quietly listening as he had been for the past 5 minutes.

"I remember your first birthday. You were wide awake at 6 in the morning and crying, and I put the radio on for you, to try and make you calm down. The song 'Who Wants To Live Forever' by Queen came on, and you laid back on the bed and waved your arms and kicked your legs and you smiled. Your mom told me that you listened to that song on your birthday every year at 6 in the morning. I can't believe that you would do something that would remind you of me. But then again, you kept the locket, so I shouldn't be surprised." Woody looked up at the clock. It was 1:05 a.m.

"Happy Birthday Amanda," he whispered. "I have something for you. You probably won't get it until you wake up, but I want you to have it anyways." Woody got up and plugged in a CD player. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a CD case. He opened it, opened the top of the CD player, and then he opened the case and put the CD into the CD player, closing the top.

"I know it's not 6 in the morning yet," he said. "But I figured that this might help you. After all, it's practically your song." Woody turned towards the door then, and finally saw Peter.

"How long have you been there?" he asked.

"Long enough to hear the story about the Queen song. I got something to eat," he said with a grin as he held up a McDonald's take-out bag. "I figured you might need something to eat, too. You look worse than I do."

"Thanks a lot," Woody said sarcastically, then he softened. "I really mean that, though. Thanks. For everything, including what you've done for Amanda. I've never seen her this happy…not even when she was a kid. So, you want to switch shifts?"

"Go eat, and then go get some sleep," Peter said, handing him the take-out bag as Woody walked out the door. "Amanda wouldn't like it if either of us were the next ones to end up in the hospital."

* * *

Peter looked at the clock. It was 4:00 a.m. He had been there for almost 3 hours, holding Amanda's hand and talking to her. He told her how everyone was doing, what had happened in the past 5 days, and how much he loved her. Mostly how much he loved her, and how much he needed her to wake up. He felt his eyelids slowly dropping, but each time, he resisted. He didn't want to go to sleep, not when Amanda needed him. He had pushed the 'Play' button on the CD player when he sat down, and Amanda's song had been playing ever since. Maybe it was the music, or maybe he was just tired. Either way, he was soon asleep, holding tight to Amanda's hand.

* * *

_Amanda was tired of walking. "Where's the exit to this damned thing?" she thought. She had been walking through the maze for what felt like years, and still hadn't found the way out. Suddenly, a noise caught her ears._

There's no time for us  
There's no place for us  
What is this thing that builds our dreams, yet slips away from us

_It was her song. The song she had listened to every year on her birthday, ever since she could remember. She turned the corner, following the sound of the music._

Who wants to live forever  
Who wants to live forever . . . . . ?  
Oh ooo oh  
There's no chance for us  
It's all decided for us  
This world has only one sweet moment set aside for us

_The music was getting louder. Amanda knew she was getting closer to the source of the music._

Who wants to live forever  
Who wants to live forever  
Ooh  
Who dares to love forever  
Oh oo woh, when love must die

_She turned every corner she could, running towards the music, towards her song, and possibly towards the end of the maze. Suddenly, she was in front of a door. She knew that wherever she was, she was about to get out._

But touch my tears with your lips  
Touch my world with your fingertips

_Amanda grasped the doorknob of the old door and turned it. She slolwy pulled the door open, revealing a blinding flash of white light…_

And we can have forever  
And we can love forever  
Forever is our today  
Who wants to live forever  
Who wants to live forever  
Forever is our today

Who waits forever anyway?

Amanda opened her eyes and looked around her. She was lying in a hospital bed, in a room full of flowers. She looked at the clock near her bed. It was 6 in the morning, and her song was playing. She looked to her left, and saw Peter sitting next to her bed in a chair, fast asleep. Amanda smiled and squeezed his hand gently.

Peter woke up immediately and looked at his hand. He saw the fingers wrapped around his, saw them squeeze his hand a second time. He looked up at the face of the girl in the bed and saw her smiling at him. He almost cried when he realized what had happened, and it took only seven words coming from her mouth to make him start:

"I did it, Peter. I held on."

* * *

A/N 2: Time for the shout-outs!

Dan: I'd never end it there! I have so many plans yet for this story, and she has to stay alive if there's gonna be a sequel! I've been known to be cruel occasionally (making you all wait that long for some new chapters, for example), but I'd never be that cruel. There's more to come, believe me.

xoRetributionox: Thanks. It was a hard thing to get through, but it DID make me a stronger person. I'm glad I had her make up with Justin too. I wish that my situation could've ended up that way (minus the whole being shot part), but some things just can't happen. I'm glad you like the story, and I hope you keep reviewing.__


	21. Living Conditions

Disclaimer: See previous chapter.

A/N: Yay! Amanda lived! (watches her readers do various happy dances) OK, this chapter takes place the day she gets out of the hospital.

Chapter Twenty-One: Living Conditions

"Slow down Amanda!" Woody yelled, trying to catch up with his daughter. "You're not supposed to go that fast in a wheelchair!" Amanda stopped in her tracks and turned her chair around. The doctors had told her that she would need to use the chair until the stitches in her side were ready to be removed, and after three days using it, she was already driving the chair like she would a go-kart: top speed.

"Sorry Dad," Amanda said with a grin. "I couldn't help it. The only other time when I'm in this position is when I'm…"

"Amanda, do I really need to explain the differences between a wheelchair and a go-kart to you?"

"I know the difference!" Amanda said. "It's just gonna take a bit of getting used to, is all. I mean, I've never HAD to use a wheelchair before; although, it was an option when I broke my leg in 3rd grade, but for some reason, Mom didn't want me to use a wheelchair then. Never could figure that one out…"

"Bet I could," Woody said. "Now come back here, I need to wheel you down to the lobby. There's someone there waiting for us."

"Oh boy," Amanda said, rolling her eyes before grinning. "Hope it's Matt Damon…"

Woody grinned, glad to hear his daughter's sarcasm again. Moments after he arrived home three days ago, he had received a phone call from the hospital. It was Peter, telling him that Amanda was awake and to come to the hospital immediately. He had practically ran out the door and back into his car, and he definitely ran down the hallway of the hospital when he arrived. Amanda's bed had been raised before he got there, so when he entered her room, she was sitting up. She had smiled at him and thanked him for remembering about the song, and then held her arms out to him for a hug. He had hugged her tightly, but not tight enough to mess up her stitches. He had been back to see her each day, and one day in particular stuck out in his mind.

* * *

_Woody smiled as he walked down the hallway to Amanda's room. It had been two days since Amanda came out of her coma, and she was looking better each day. As he neared her room, he heard unfamiliar music coming from the door to Amanda's room, accompanied by some very familiar laughter and some unfamiliar music._

_Woody looked in the window of Amanda's room, and saw what amounted to a daycare center surrounding and sitting on her bed. He immediately recognized her sisters Jessie and Lori, and her sister Michelle's children, but there were quite a few children-plus an adult-in the room that he didn't recognize. Looking closer at the other woman-who stood between Michelle and Justin-he figured that it was Amanda's other sister Melissa, and that a couple of the little rascals in the room belonged to her. He tapped lightly on the window._

_Jessie heard the tapping and looked up at the window. When she saw who it was, she tugged on Amanda's hospital gown and pointed. Amanda looked up at the window and smiled, motioning for him to come in._

_"Does the hospital know you've started a daycare in here?" he asked as he entered the room. Amanda introduced him to Melissa, and then answered him._

_"I paid off the nurses not to say anything," she said with a sly grin. "Actually, they came in a pack. Reminds me more of a zoo than a daycare center."_

_"So," Woody said, looking around at the kids. "I recognize most of these little devils, but some new ones appeared while I was gone."_

_"Oh!" Amanda said, realizing what he meant. She pointed at two brown-haired kids, a boy and a girl, and said "These two are Noah and Tammy. They're Melissa's kids." She then motioned to two towed-headed children standing near Justin. "And these two are Britney and Nick. They belong to Justin." Woody smiled at the kids, who grinned back happily. He looked around the room again, and noticed someone was missing._

_"Where's Peter?" Woody asked. Amanda grinned, and the kids giggled and laughed._

_"He ducked out shortly after the younger kids put Disney music in the tape player," Amanda said, cracking up with laughter. "I give him credit, though: he sat through loud renditions of 'Hakuna Matata,' 'Winnie The Pooh,' 'Be Our Guest,' and 'I Wanna Be Like You' before he left." That got the little kids started on Disney movies, and they continued in that vein for a while, finally leaving after Tammy and Britney got into an argument over which guy in "The Princess Diaries" was cuter._

_"So that's the family," Woody said, sitting down in the chair next to Amanda's bed. "They seemed interesting." He looked to Amanda for an answer, and noticed she was crying. "What's wrong Amanda?" he asked._

_Amanda wiped her eyes on her arm. "That was the first time we've all been together in a really long time," she said. "It's just weird, is all…Mom would've loved to see this."_

_"She would've," Woody said. "And I'm sure that somewhere, she was." He handed Amanda a tissue, and told her that everything would be all right. He then told her that everyone would be there in a minute, that he had something important to tell them._

_When they all arrived and were seated-Peter seated next to Amanda-Woody told them his news. Amanda cried into Peter's shoulder as Woody told them that the man that shot Amanda and had killed her mother in the carjacking had been caught.

* * *

_

"So Dad," Amanda said as her father wheeled her out of the elevator on the first floor of the hospital. "When are we going home?"

Woody hesitated, then said "Honey, you're not going back to the apartment."

Amanda looked up at her father in shock. "Why?" she asked. "What's wrong with the apartment?"

"It was broken into yesterday," Woody said. "By the other two men involved in your shooting and the carjacking. We were able to catch them and get to their boss, but we don't know yet how many there are still out there. You're going to have to stay with someone else until we can go to trial."

"Well then," Amanda said as they wheeled into the lobby. "Who am I bugging for the next couple of months?" Her father grinned as he pointed to the person waiting for them in the lobby and said, "Him."

Amanda looked in the direction of her father's finger, and smiled broadly when she saw he was pointing at Peter.

* * *

A/N: Time for the shout-outs! And do me a favor and read & review the stories "This Bug's Love Life," by canadianfan1984, and "Testing Love," a story written by xoRetributionox and myself.

xoRetributionox: Yes, it was because of the carjacking. I think I might have told you that when I emailed you Alex, but I'm not sure…Anyways, did you want me to write the next chapter of "Testing Love"? Never got the chance to ask you that last time…

canadianfan1984: Yes, you did miss a lot! Glad you got caught up! Thanks! I didn't know how well the song and stuff would fit together, but that idea sort of popped into my head while I was writing the rest of the chapter. Keep up the good work on your story, it's really good!

Dan: Thanks! Keep up the reading. Now that Amanda's moving in with Peter, interesting stuff is BOUND to happen!


	22. Midnight

Disclaimer: See previous chapter.

A/N: You know what really sucks? When your computer just decides not to have the Internet work anymore for no apparent reason. Anyways, here's the latest chapter!

Chapter Twenty-Two: Midnight

_"No, please, don't do it!"_

_"Sorry, boss's orders," the man in the shadows said as he approached Amanda. "And I can't disappoint the boss." The shadow man reached into his pocket._

_"No, please, I'm begging you," Amanda said, backing away from the shadow man as he drew closer to her. "I never did anything to you. Please, just leave me alone."_

_"Sorry babe," the shadow man said as he drew the gun from his pocket. "Say hi to your mom for me." The shadow man pulled the trigger._

Amanda shot up in bed, gasping for breath. She felt her sides and stomach before exhaling slowly. "It was only a dream," she thought. She looked at her alarm clock, and noticed it was midnight. "Well, after a dream like that, there's no way in hell I'm getting back to sleep," Amanda thought. She heard a noise from the living room, and realized it was the television. She pulled her wheelchair closer to her bed and lifted herself off of the bed and into it. She wheeled out of her room and down the hallway of Peter's apartment to the living room.

* * *

When she reached the living room, she found Peter sitting on the couch, wide-awake and watching-of all things-Lifetime. She grinned and said, "Lifetime? Is there truly nothing else on at this hour?"

Peter turned around and saw Amanda sitting in her wheelchair, grinning at him. "What are you doing up this late?" he asked.

"I might ask you the same question," Amanda said as she wheeled herself over to the couch, parking her chair next to it.

"Insomnia, coupled with an inability to take sleeping pills," Peter replied. "When all else fails, get something to bore you to sleep. What about you?"

"So," Amanda said, looking at the TV and noticing it was a commercial, deciding to change the subject for the moment. "What movie is it?"

"Something about the Amish," Peter said. "I think there was a murder."

"Oh!" Amanda said. "I know what movie that is."

"Which one?"

"It's called Plain Truth," Amanda said, picking the remote up off the couch and pushing a button on it. "And it also said that on the info."

"Funny," Peter said laughing, taking the remote back from Amanda. "I'm cutting you off. No more remote for you."

"Aw damn it," Amanda said, pretending to be sad. "I really wanted that remote too...I guess I'll just have to settle for stealing it back when you fall asleep."

"Since you're awake," Peter said, grinning at Amanda. "I could use some company. Want to watch this incredibly confusing movie with me?"

"Sure," Amanda said, lifting herself out of her chair and onto the couch, settling herself next to Peter. "It's got to be better than sleeping."

"Speaking of which," Peter said, remembering that Amanda had never answered his question. "Why are you awake? You never answered my question."

"I had a nightmare," Amanda said, realizing how 4-year-old that sounded. "It was pretty bad."

"It must have been, to wake you up like this," Peter said. "What happened in it?"

"It was about the guy that shot me," Amanda said. "I couldn't see his face, but he kept threatening me, saying about his boss's orders. I woke up when the gun went off."

"That does sound scary," Peter said, putting his arm around Amanda's shoulder and pulling her closer to him. "But we got the guy that shot you. Him AND his boss. They won't hurt you again."

Amanda leaned her head against Peter's shoulder. "I hope not."

"They'll have to go through me and your dad first," Peter said. "And then, they'd have to rest of the Boston PD to deal with."

"That's a comforting thought," Amanda said. "But the last thing I want is for you to get hurt or worse because of me."

"Don't worry about it right now," Peter said, kissing the top of Amanda's head. "Let's just watch the movie."

* * *

When the movie was over, Peter looked down at Amanda. She was sleeping peacefully, her head on his shoulder, a smile on her lips. Peter smiled to himself. He then picked Amanda up and carried her into her room, and laid her carefully in her bed, pulling the comforter up over her. He leaned over her and kissed her forehead, then turned to leave. As he stood in the doorway, he turned around and looked back at the sleeping girl. Amanda's hair was framing her face, with some of it flowing onto the pillow, and she was smiling slightly. Peter grinned again as he left the room, glad that Amanda had finally found the peaceful sleep she so desperately deserved.

* * *

A/N: Time for shout-outs! Anyone who reviews will get CHOCOLATE! (unless ya hate chocolate or are allergic, then a substitute reward will be provided or traded so me and my friends can have the chocolate. Hee hee hee.)

canadianfan1984- The thing about that is, Woody is sending her to the one place he can be positive that she'll be safe at. He trusts Peter to take care of Amanda. Thanks, and keep reviewing, please.

freitazal- Thanks! Glad you enjoy it. Keep on reviewing and enjoying the story!

Dan- Glad I could help. You'll see what happens soon. I just had to get a bit of fluff out here. 'Cause let's face it, there's not enough fluff in here. Laughs Keep on enjoying the story and reviewing. But do your work too, man...don't want you to get fired.


	23. Out With It

Disclaimer: Yeah, um, guess what? Don't own it.

A/N: Computers have been going on the blink left and right around here...had to write this chapter over again after discovering that it had been COMPLETELY ERASED! Boy, does my luck suck...Anyways, on to the story!

Chapter Twenty-Three: Out With It

"So Miss Hoyt, are you ready to have those stitches removed?" the doctor asked. Amanda was in the hospital with her father. It had been two months since her attack, and it was time to get the stitches taken out.

"I've been ready ever since I had them put in," Amanda complained. "These things are a real pain in the-" She was cut off by her father's hand going over her mouth.

"She's ready," Woody said, quickly covering for his daughter.

The doctor led them to the room where the operation would take place, and left them alone for a few minutes while he prepared.

"Look, Amanda, I know you haven't had much sleep," Woody said, turning to face his daughter. "But could you try to not swear in front of the doctor?"

"I'm grumpy," Amanda said, crossing her arms over her chest. "I have a right to be. You try waking up at five in the morning when you're an insomniac. It's a blast."

"You can sleep in the car on the way back," Woody said, trying hard not to laugh. He knew how teenagers could be when they are deprived of sleep for long periods of time.

"Promise?" Amanda asked.

"Promise," Woody said. "And I also promise that after we get out of here, we'll stop at Steak and Shake and get something to eat. How does that sound?"

"Woo-hoo!" Amanda shouted.

"I'll take that as a 'Great' then," Woody said with a grin. Just then the doctor came in, and the next thing Amanda knew, she was drifting off to sleep.

* * *

_Amanda looked at her surroundings. She was in a field of flowers, wearing a long white dress._

_"Wow," Amanda said to herself. "Coolness."_

_She started walking through the field when she saw something moving towards her. Amanda squinted to see what it was. When she finally saw the shape clearly, she gasped._

_"Mom?" she whispered. "Am I dead?"_

_Jennifer Baxter-Brown looked at her daughter and smiled. "You're not dead sweetheart," she said. "You're sleeping."_

_"So this is a dream?" Amanda said, and then added. "Wow. Am I ever blonde at times..." Her mother laughed._

_"You get it from my side of the family," she said. "Anyways, I only have a bit of time with you, so what do you want to do?"_

_Amanda paused for a moment, then ran to her mother and hugged her. "I've wanted to do that for a while now," she said._

_After a few moments, Jennifer stood back and looked at her daughter, studying her. "So," she said after a few seconds. "Who's this Peter guy?"_

_Amanda blushed. "Let's walk and talk," she said.

* * *

_

_"So, you really met John Lennon?" Amanda asked in shock._

_"Yeah, I did!" her mother said excitedly. "He was really nice. Appreciates the fact that kids nowadays still enjoy his music."_

_"Did you meet anyone else?" Amanda asked her mother, desperate to know more. They had been talking about what Heaven was like, and all the people her mother had seen there._

_"Well, there was one person...Nah, you don't want to know," Jennifer said._

_"Tell me! Tell me!" Amanda shouted. "Who was it?"_

_Her mother whispered something into her ear that made Amanda scream with surprise._

_"Oh my god! You actually met him?" Amanda asked in awe._

_"I did," Jennifer said with a grin._

_"I can't believe you got to meet River Phoenix!" Amanda said. "Do you know how many girls would be jealous of you?"_

_"My own daughter included?" Jennifer asked slyly._

_"Right last name, wrong brother," Amanda said. "Although, he was a cutie."_

_A sudden whooshing noise caught their ears, and they turned to see a light coming closer to them._

_"Time to go, sweetheart," Jennifer said, hugging her daughter._

_Amanda walked toward the light. She stopped and turned to look at her mother. Her mother's smiling face was the last thing she saw before the light engulfed her.

* * *

_

Amanda blinked her eyes a few times and looked around the room. The white light she had seen was obviously the light above her, and she noticed she was back in the hospital.

"Welcome back to the land of the living," Woody said, walking over to her. "You were out for a while."

"Was I dead?" Amanda asked, still woozy.

"No, just sleeping. They finished up about half an hour ago. We can leave if you're ready."

Amanda sat up slowly and looked down at her side. The stitches were gone. She was back to normal.

* * *

Amanda smiled as she walked out of the hospital with her father. "Now that I'm better," she thought. "Maybe things can get back to normal."

* * *

A/N 2: Time for the shout-outs!

Sweet-rush37: Thanks! I hope you and the others liked this chapter. I couldn't resist throwing in a dream sequence again. I thought it might be cool to see what was going on in Amanda's head during surgery. I mean, who's to say what happens when you're knocked out then?

Dan: It's OK. Everything's fixed now. We had some bugs in the system that needed to be fixed, so that's why it took me so long to update. Damned computers...I think the computer people are doing this on purpose...

canadianfan1984: Yeah, he is, isn't he? I might make Amanda have one more nightmare, but it will be later on if I do. Right now, I'm just gonna concentrate on getting another kid into this story. See if you can guess whose it'll be!


	24. At Last, Justice

Disclaimer: see previous chapters.

A/N: I know it's been a REALLY long time since my last update, but I was completely burnt out. All the writing and updates in such a short time (each time I would update, that is) wore me out, and then there was school to contend with. But I'm on Christmas vacation now, so there will be some updates. Can't tell you how many, but there will be some.

Chapter Twenty-Four: At Last, Justice

"I don't think I can do this," Amanda said. She was sitting on the couch in Peter's apartment, waiting for him to come out of his room. It had been 4 months since her shooting, and the trial was underway. That day, Amanda was to testify in front of the jury, and she was nervous as hell.

"I don't think I can do this," she repeated. "I'm so scared…I haven't been this scared since I came back from the hospital." Her nightmares had come back again, much worse than before. More than once, Peter had run into her room at night to find her thrashing on the bed and screaming. Each time, she had woken up in tears.

"You'll do fine," Peter said as he came into the living room. "Just tell them the truth about what happened."

"What if it's not enough?" Amanda asked, her fear beginning to show. "What if they acquit them? What if I end up doing what Jordan did? I'll lose everything…" Her ramblings were stopped by the ringing of the telephone.

Peter walked over to the phone and answered it. He listened for a while, then said, "All right. We'll be there shortly." Amanda knew what the phone call was about before Peter even picked up the phone. It was now or never.

* * *

"Could you please, in your own words, tell the jury what happened to you on September 10th, 2003?" asked the attorney. Amanda swallowed hard. She wished that Renee was the prosecuting attorney on the case, but she hadn't been allowed to prosecute the case in court. 

"Damned personal bias rules," Amanda thought. She had already rehashed the events of the night that her mother was murdered, and they had moved on to her shooting. The DA sensed she was afraid and said, "Take as much time as you need, Miss Hoyt."

Amanda swallowed again, and then said, "I was at the morgue, helping Dr. Townsend set up a wireless network for the morgue's new computers. Dr. Cavanaugh came into the room and told me I had a visitor in the conference room. I went to the conference room, stopping to talk to a few friends along the way, and found my sister there. We talked for a few minutes, and then I was told I had a visitor in the hallway. I walked out of the conference room, stopped for a moment to talk to Dr. Townsend and Dr. Winslow, and met my other visitor. It was my brother, and we exchanged some verbal blows, which led to a small altercation. Afterwards, I got into an elevator and went down to the lobby, intending to go home. Dr. Winslow followed me to the lobby, and managed to calm me down slightly. I heard a gunshot, and my body tensed up. A few seconds later, I looked down at the side of my shirt and realized that I had been shot. I drifted in and out of consciousness for a long time after that, before I finally passed out. I woke up in the hospital five days later."

"Were you able to see the face of your attacker?" the DA asked.

"Yes, I was. During one of my moments of consciousness, I turned my head to the side, and I saw the attacker on the floor, with policemen standing over him. He was in handcuffs, and he was facing me."

"Do you see your attacker anywhere in this courtroom today?"

"Yes," Amanda said. She pointed to the man at the defense table, who grinned at her and mouth the words "Bang Bang" as she looked at him, in an effort to get her to waver. "That's him, right there," Amanda said, not wavering for an instant.

"No further questions, your honor," the DA said. "The prosecution rests." The defense attorney stood up next, a woman who was not much taller than Amanda.

"Miss Hoyt, you mentioned that you had an altercation with your stepbrother before your shooting?" the defense attorney asked.

"Yes," Amanda said.

"Were there any witnesses that could verify that he himself did not follow you down to the lobby after Dr. Winslow?"

"Yes, there are."

"Are there any witnesses that are NOT related to you in some way, that could verify this?" the attorney asked smugly.

Amanda was starting to get rather pissed off at this woman. She had seen enough courtroom dramas on TV to know that the attorney WANTED her to get angry.

"Yes," she answered, keeping an even tone to her voice and a normal expression on her face. The defense attorney blanched slightly. She hadn't expected her to answer so calmly. It threw her off balance, and messed up her plans.

"No more questions, your honor," the defense attorney said. "The defense rests."

"Very well," the judge said, turning to Amanda. "Miss Hoyt, I would like to thank you for being so cooperative today. I understand this must have been very hard for you. You may step down."

Amanda nodded her thanks to the judge and walked out of the courtroom, sighing with relief. She had done her part. Now all they had to do was wait.

* * *

"Has the jury reached a verdict?" 

Amanda grabbed Peter's hand and held it tightly. It had been four days since deliberations had begun. They had received a call saying that the jury had reached a verdict, and they were sitting in the courtroom. On Amanda's left were her sisters and brother, and her stepfather. On her right were her father, Peter, and Jordan.

"We have, your honor," the jury foreman said. She handed the paper to the bailiff, who handed it to the judge. The judge read the verdict to himself, then handed the paper back to the bailiff, who returned it to the foreman.

"Read your verdict," the judge said. "On the first count of the indictment, attempted murder."

Amanda listened intently for the words she had longed to hear, clutching Peter's arm as the foreman read the verdict.

"We find the defendant guilty," the foreman said. Amanda silently cheered. The bastard had been found guilty of trying to kill her.

"On the second count of the indictment, murder in the first degree," the judge said.

"We find the defendant guilty," the foreman said. Amanda began to cry. She felt Peter's arms go around her, and heard him say, "It's all over now. They got him." The judge thanked the jury for their service and adjourned the court.

* * *

Outside the courthouse, Amanda and her siblings hugged each other tightly, and wrenched promises to visit soon from each other. Amanda was silent on the car ride back to Peter's apartment, all the while thinking about how she had finally gotten justice for her mother.

* * *

A/N 2: Shout-outs! 

canadianfan1984- Yeah, he is a pretty good dad. He's starting to get the hang of the whole parenting thing. Which is gonna come in handy in later chapters…please keep reviewing! I know it's been a while, but I do intend to finish this story!

Dan- Boy, do I ever understand that! Laughs OK, so there wasn't much Amanda/Peter stuff in this chapter either, but the trial was the most important thing. I PROMISE there will be more Amanda/Peter stuff in the next chapter. Until then, keep reviewing!


	25. Tidings Of Comfort And Joy

Disclaimer: see previous chapters.

A/N: MERRY (INSERT CELEBRATED HOLIDAY HERE) EVERYONE! (laughs) It's the all-purpose holiday greeting! For me, it's Christmas Eve…and I can't WAIT! Sheesh, never thought I'd still be this excited about Christmas at age 17. I guess it's because my family had a pretty tough year, and we made it through…anyways, here's a special Christmas-related chapter. Consider it my Christmas present to you, the readers. And as a second & third present, Woody's parents are alive and Devan isn't dead.

Chapter Twenty-Five: Tidings Of Comfort And Joy

"Welcome home Amanda," Jordan said as she opened the door to Woody's apartment. Amanda walked in and looked around. The apartment hadn't changed much in the months she had been staying at Peter's. In fact, the only thing different was the Christmas tree in the living room. Amanda gasped at the sight of it. She remembered that tree. Woody grinned from his spot on the couch.

"I've seen that tree before," she said, walking over to it. "Grandma and Grandpa Hoyt had this tree at their house when I was little. I remember the ornaments and how pretty the star was." Amanda lightly touched the ornaments, giggling slightly at the painted walnut that hung near the middle of the tree. "And I remember making this cheesy piece of junk in preschool!"

"Is there anything else you remember?" her father asked as he got up off of the couch and walked over to her.

"Yeah, actually there is," Amanda said, hugging her father. "I remember the only person tall enough to get the star on the top was Uncle Cal." Amanda looked at the top of the tree. There sat the same old star, resplendent and shining on the top of the tree.

"Wait a minute," Amanda said slowly. "There's only one other person that I know who is tall enough to reach the top of this tree, and he's back at his apartment. So who the hell…"

"Some greeting," a voice said from the hallway. Amanda turned around and gasped. She ran down the hallway and flung her arms around her uncle's neck, hugging him.

"Uncle Cal! When did you get here?" Amanda said, completely and utterly surprised.

"About 15 minutes ago," he replied, laughing loudly. "Decided to bring the family tree to the family in Boston." Cal pulled away from his niece and looked at her. "You've grown up since the last time I saw you," he said. "You're almost as tall as your dad! And a boyfriend too…How long has he been in the picture?"

Amanda blushed. "Ten months," she said. "And no, you do NOT need to rough him up! My friends already gave him the 'hurt her and perish' lecture."

Cal laughed again. His niece knew him too well, something that he attributed to her father. "Let's skip all the formalities and go talk to your parents, shall we?" he said, in a mocking formal tone.

"All right then," Amanda said, matching the tone. "Let's."

* * *

"HEY GUYS!" Cal screamed. "Look who's under the mistletoe!" 

They were with the morgue crew at the Pogue, which had been opened especially for them to have a Christmas party. Mistletoe had been hung in various places around the bar, and-as Cal loudly pointed out-a couple had just been caught under it.

Amanda and Peter looked at each other, then looked at the ceiling above them. Sure enough, there was one of the many strategically placed bunches of mistletoe hanging above their heads.

"Come on you two, it's tradition!" Cal shouted. "Come on Peter, kiss her! I won't clobber you, but I can't vouch for my brother."

"Hey Uncle Cal," Amanda said innocently, her eyes shining with mischief. "Wanna know what I got you for Christmas?"

"Sure!" he replied, not catching on to what everyone else had realized: that Amanda was up to something. "What is it?"

"Duct Tape," Amanda said with a devilish grin, causing everyone in the bar to laugh, Cal included.

"OK, OK, you got me," he said. "She's turning out to be more like me than you, bro!"

"Oh God, I hope not," Amanda and Woody said at the same time, an act which produced a fresh wave of laughter.

"Now, back to the business at hand," Jordan said when everyone had stopped laughing. "As much as I hate to admit it, Cal's right. It is a tradition, after all. I'll hold your father back, I promise."

Amanda blushed, then grinned as Peter leaned in to kiss her. The assembled guests laughed and applauded as the couple came out from under the mistletoe with slightly red faces. Then Amanda and Peter spotted something that cheered them up almost immediately.

"Sydney, Uncle Cal, it IS a tradition…" Amanda said with mock seriousness, producing the biggest wave of laughter yet that night.

* * *

"Everyone listen up!" Woody said loudly. "Jordan and I have an announcement to make." It was a few hours later, and everyone was fully into the swing of the party. Amanda, Peter, Nigel, and Devan looked up from their game of pool, Lily and Bug stopped dancing, and Garret, Renee, Cal, Sydney, and Max stopped drinking for the moment. 

"What is it?" Max asked.

"Guess," Woody said.

"You've changed your mind about the earlier mistletoe ruling," Sydney said, shuddering in horror and earning laughs from everyone except Cal, who glared slightly at his brother.

"You're selling Uncle Cal to the circus!" Amanda said, getting more laughs.

"You're officially cutting off his drinking privileges," Renee said as Max pulled a drink out of Cal's hand. "Since they won't, I will," Max said. Cal glared at him, to which he replied, "Your nose is red enough already Rudolph. No more beer for you."

After the laughter had subsided, Woody said, "That's not it, although we were seriously considering the mistletoe thing…" He smiled at Jordan and said, "Do you want to tell them?"

"Sure," Jordan said. "Um, you guys might be wondering why I haven't been drinking anything tonight."

"Well, duh!" Amanda said. "Peter and I can't be the only designated drivers!"

"That's actually not entirely it," Jordan said, laughing at her stepdaughter's semi-off-the-mark comment. "There's good news and bad news. The good news: Woody and I are getting a very special Christmas gift this year that everyone will love. The bad news: It's not going to be here for another eight months." She waited for the news to sink in, and then the shouting started, beginning-of course-with Amanda.

"OH MY GOD! I'M GOING TO BE A SISTER AGAIN!" she yelled, jumping up and down and clapping her hands. The entire bar soon joined in, shouting, laughing, and congratulating the happy couple.

"Hopefully, this one won't act like its older sister," Cal said with a laugh.

"Hopefully, this one won't act like its Uncle Cal," Amanda retorted with a grin. This time, the laughter could be heard in the building next door.

* * *

Jordan woke up suddenly. There was a noise coming from the living room. She got out of bed-being careful not to wake up Woody-and walked into the living room. She saw a figure sitting on the couch, and was about to reach for the phone when the figure turned around. 

"Did I wake you up?" Amanda asked. When Jordan nodded, Amanda said, "Sorry. I tried to be quiet."

"It's OK," Jordan said.

Jordan sat down on the couch next to her stepdaughter. On closer inspection, she noticed that Amanda had been crying.

"It hits hardest the first year," Jordan said. "The first year's always the hardest. Birthdays-theirs and yours-and holidays especially. I miss my mom most at the holidays too."

"Mom always made a big deal of the holidays," Amanda said, drying her eyes on the pillow. "It was a big thing in our house. She always took us sledding, and we always had snowball fights when there was enough snow. We made a ton of cookies, and gingerbread men too."

"My mom used to help me make gingerbread houses," Jordan said, smiling at the memory of a happy Christmas when she was young. "They were always really big, more like gingerbread mansions than houses. We even made little gingerbread men and women to put in front of it. Snowball fights were a big thing too, but my dad and I were the ones that did those."

"We tried to make a gingerbread house once, but it fell apart," Amanda said, snorting with laughter. "Grandma Baxter's dog ate it and got sick in Grandpa Baxter's boot."

Jordan laughed, then paused for a moment. "Would you like to make one that won't fall apart?"

"Sure," Amanda said. "But it's kind of late, don't you think?"

"It's only 11:00 at night," Jordan said. "besides, your uncle's staying at a hotel and your dad's a heavy sleeper, so we won't be waking anyone up. I'll bet we can have a gingerbread mansion and some cookies ready for the morning if we try hard enough."

"Sounds like a plan," Amanda said, drying her eyes. "You know, you don't have to do this if you don't want to."

"I know," Jordan said. "But if your little half-brother or sister is going to be a sugar addict like its mother and sister, we'd better start now. Besides, it's a good tradition. Both our mothers had the right idea when it came to holiday baking, it seems."

"Yeah," Amanda said with a grin as they walked to the kitchen. "You know, you're a good mom for someone who's never done it before."

"Thanks," Jordan said with a grin. "Now, where'd your dad hide the gingerbread?"

* * *

A/N 2: Shout-out time. 

Dan- Thanks! It's good to be back! I feel much better. I decided to put some stepmother/stepdaughter bonding in this chapter. Seeing as how it's Christmas, some sort of bonding was in order anyways. The only down side to writing that last part is that I now have a major gingerbread craving…(shakes her head to get rid of the feeling) Anyways, keep on reading and reviewing! And Happy Holidays to you!


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